


When the Moon Reaches for the Stars

by Strange_Bird_of_the_Moon (Dr_Latenshi)



Category: Persona 3, Touhou Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Persona Fusion, F/F, Gen, Literary References & Allusions, Medium Canon Deviation, Minor Use of Suggestive Language and Themes, parallel narratives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2020-09-27 06:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 135,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20403430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Latenshi/pseuds/Strange_Bird_of_the_Moon
Summary: One story, told by two. Two stories, told by one.Usami Renko is widely known across Kyoto as the Detective Prince, working with the police to solve cases that seem to be impossible to solve. And Usami Sumireko is her author. A young girl without a dream, writing stories for herself without any real aim other than self-satisfaction.A near-death experience led Sumireko to enter a world of secrets and fantasy. A strange vision led Renko to chase after a mysterious serial killer. Two girls as one, the Usami that pursues two different paths on her own. Yet, lonely as they were, neither was ever truly alone.Someone always watched over them.A Persona 3 AU of Touhou Project. EDIT: Still alive, however COVID and IRL circumstances had put a damper on progress here. I apologize.





	1. A Dream of Butterfly

X-X-X

### Chapter 1: A Dream of Butterfly

The sound of the train car gently shaking continued. There was something almost hypnotic to how calming that sound was. It had lulled Renko asleep before she was aware of it, and now that she was awake again she wanted to return to her dreams. Nevertheless, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and pushed herself up from the window she had been leaning on.

“Good morning, Renko.” In the seat opposite Renko was a young girl clad in a light purple dress, her head adorned with a wavy cloth hat that looked just like a nightcap. A vintage-looking outfit, as if she was a paper cutout from a magazine of the past. She looked like a porcelain doll made in paradise itself to Renko.

“How long have I been sleeping?” with a groggy voice, Renko asked her.

“Not very. It’s still bright out there.” The girl gestured to the window as Renko’s eyes followed. The sky outside was dyed in clear blue without a single cloud to obscure it. Fields of sunflowers below quickly whizzed by, the yellow flashes contrasting with the sky’s deep blue. Even as the train quickly passed through, the sky was ever-present and the field of sunflowers rushing past never lessened. It was a tranquil scene that reduced any pointless chatter to silence.

But even that did not hold a candle to the radiance and warmth of the gentle smile the girl showed Renko. It was blinding and Renko could only turn her face away, letting her eyes linger on the passing scene.

“It’s empty,” Renko eventually commented.

“It is. The scenery is quite beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I mean the train. There’s no one else around here.” Without even glancing around, Renko could somehow feel it. Aside from the two of them, this train, no, this entire world was devoid of anyone else. The train carriage was filled with two-person seats facing each other, forming little cubicles. There were plenty of seats, yet there were only two people. There was the girl in front of her, and Renko herself. “...Merry.”

“What is it, Renko?”

Renko looked into the other girl’s eyes. Within Merry’s golden eyes, she saw a reflection of herself, Usami Renko. A brown-haired woman in her early adulthood, wearing a white collared shirt with a black tie and skirt to contrast. A small black boater hat sat atop her head, completing her outfit. Seeing that familiar image made Renko loosen up.

“...Sorry. I must’ve still been dreaming just now. My head feels a little groggy and all.”

Merry let out an exasperated sigh. “And you say I’m the one who dozes off all the time.”

“Right, right.” Renko let out a sheepish, apologetic grin of her own. “So uh, where are we heading to again?

“You forgot? Renko, are you still asleep after all?”

“Like I said, I’m sleepy. Come on, Merry,” Renko called out to the other girl.

“We’re on a journey, remember? I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with our club activities.”

“I know that, I haven’t forgotten that much! But where are we heading to?”

“Goodness, you forgot.” Merry sighed, shaking her head.

The purple-clad girl closed her book, and only then did Renko notice that she was reading something. The girl clearly had no intention of answering the question, so Renko shifted her attention. “What book’s that?”

“Oh, this? It’s something I picked up from a book stall at the train platform earlier.” The girl flashed the cover at Renko, who observed its title to be An Exploration into the Major Arcanas. “It’s about Tarot cards that people use for fortune telling. The book itself doesn’t have anything interesting, but it’s quite fascinating to note how you can infer some kind of story from arranging all the Arcanas in order.”

“I think I’ve heard about that.” Renko tried to recall what but she couldn’t remember. Her head was mostly filled with numbers and logic, something as mystical as Tarot fortune telling was outside her field and interest most of the time. Fortune telling seemed like it was completely bogus, anyway.

“You start with the first card, the Fool. It can also be the last card... but let’s ignore that for now. The Fool is ignorant, it’s empty and passionless. A man at the very beginning of a long journey who has yet to experience a single thing.”

As if prompted, the announcer’s voice rang throughout the train carriage.

_Now arriving at, Iwatodai Station._

“Oh, is it time already?” Merry hurriedly put the book back to her bag. Renko looked at her in confusion.

“Why are we going here?” The name felt vaguely familiar, but Renko couldn’t pinpoint what it reminded her of.

"Because, Renko.” Merry put the bag behind her and stood up. She didn’t turn around to look at Renko. Renko stared in confusion, at a loss about the situation.

"You made a promise with me.”

X-X-X

__

Monday, 6th of April 2009  
Iwatodai Station  
11 PM

** _The time to fulfill your contract is approaching…_ **

Sumireko awoke to find herself alone on a train. She felt like she had been asleep for a long time. Her temple was pressed against the glass window. It had begun to feel sore.

She pushed herself upright to look around. It was pitch black outside the windows. It was evidently quite late at night. Next to her, the seats were as empty as the ones in her dream. She looked at the watch on her wrist. It was close to midnight. There seemed to have been a delay- she should have arrived already.

But it was not what was on her mind now. Sumireko had awoken from a strange dream. It was a dream tangentially related to the story that she was writing. A story of two girls, a detective and her beloved girlfriend as they tackled the case of their lifetime.

Or that’s what the novel was supposed to be. Her dream had little to nothing to do with what she had written so far. Though, it made sense that her dream would be about the one thing Sumireko had been busy with this afternoon. The strange part was more likely just her fatigued mind warping things around.

Putting too much thought into it felt like a waste of time. Sumireko decided to continue looking around instead. As she did so, she noticed a nearby screen announcing the final stop of the day.

** _“The last stop for the day is Iwatodai. Iwatodai.”_ **

The announcer’s voice rang throughout the car as it ground itself to a halt.

“Oh dear, oh dear, I’m going to be late.” Sounding unenthused, Sumireko checked over her belongings one last time. Her high school uniform, music player, wallet, suitcase, notebooks, everything was still there and neatly packed. Satisfied, she disembarked.

It took her no time at all to go through the ticket gate. Now leaving the station itself, Sumireko looked around and found less people than she expected. Stores around her were closed, the lights were on but only in the immediate vicinity leading outside, and the handful of people nearby were all hurriedly walking towards the exit- leaving Sumireko standing alone.

There was no one standing next to her. No one at all- yet it was then that Sumireko heard,

“Thank goodness, right?”

“It’s not like I can’t go through a crowd by myself or anything.” The sound of Sumireko’s own reply echoed in a nearly-empty station. It was followed by a giggle that did not belong to her. A slightly taller brown-haired girl stepped to her side, wearing a stylish black and white outfit. She was smiling, as she rested her arms on Sumireko’s shoulders.

“Says the one who made sure to arrive late at night so there wouldn’t be people around. Even though it’d be a problem if midnight strikes...”

Sumireko blushed and frowned to herself. She quietly muttered, “I can’t predict a train delay, Renko.”

“Typical human error,” Renko said with a sniff. “Oh well, you’re already used to that, anyway.”

There was no one else in the station as Sumireko stepped outside to the streets. Even the girl she was talking to was no one. There was only Sumireko, whose words were aimed at no one. But, to her, that no one called Renko was there, right next to her, laughing at her, the first person to greet her at her destination.

“As part of the Usami Sumireko welcoming committee… I hereby will say, welcome to your good old hometown.”

Renko’s sense of theatrics was at full display as she made an exaggerated gesture, as if she was welcoming a member of royalty. Sumireko sighed at her antics, though a small smile remained. This was technically her homecoming, after all. Those were supposed to be emotional. But all she felt was a mild sense of annoyance. Perhaps she was just too detached from this place to feel anything more than that.

“Can we save that for later, Renko? You’re ruining the mood here.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

As if she was a genie, Renko disappeared from her side. Of course, no one was ever there in the first place. This Renko was just an invented character. She was the same Renko as the protagonist of the story Sumireko wrote, and… well, Sumireko’s only companion. Not a ghost, not an unexplained sighting. Just a cool big sister-like college student that surely would make many girls swoon.

Sumireko coughed. No, she was getting too distracted. She looked around and was relieved when she saw that nobody was looking weirdly at her at that moment. She pulled out her Walkman and fired up one of her favorite tracks on loop.

_~Dream of butterfly, I wish life’s a dream.  
Don’t wanna wake up, cause I’m happy here!~_

The rest of the song was a little difficult to sing so she hummed along. Music was always a good thing. Sumireko’s taste was in no way sophisticated, but music was invaluable for making focus. And with this newfound focus, she began to take note of the area surrounding her. And she paused as it began to really sink in that she could barely remember anything about this city.

Iwatodai. This was where Sumireko was born, but she had to leave to live with her aunt in Kyoto ten years ago. And since then... nothing about this city was familiar to her anymore. No matter how much her aunt kept saying that “she would feel just like at home” in Iwatodai, each structure that she passed made her feel more alienated. Was this really the right city?

She decided to check the time using her watch again. Ten minutes had passed since her arrival, and it was a few minutes before midnight. Silently cursing at herself, Sumireko grabbed her luggage and ran. The desolate streets offered her little comfort as her suitcase bumped and rattled on the gravel. Sumireko hoped that the bag wouldn’t suddenly break from the abuse she was putting it through.

She thought to herself as she ran. Her new dorm shouldn’t be too far away if she remembered correctly. The pictures she had seen of the dorm were rather… memorable, but the buildings around here all looked the same. Left, right, everything looked the same. All of them equally unfamiliar to her. Which street lead to which?

****

“You… you’ve changed so much.”

****

****  


In the midst of this chaos, Sumireko heard a voice call out to her. It was not her own invention this time. She paused and looked around.

There was no one there. Only a single lamppost stood nearby, lighting up a small part of the dark, empty street. She couldn’t quite make out what the voice had just said, but something inside of her comprehended it. She looked around in confusion, but it led to nothing. Unable to locate the voice, Sumireko sighed. “The train trip was tiring, sure, but this is new. Am I just making new Renkos without me realizing it?”

Just as she was going to turn around, Sumireko noticed a petite figure standing a distance away. She stood too far away for Sumireko to have heard her, but...

The little girl was clad in a long, purple antique dress. Her hair was blonde and very long, and her body and skin were perfectly sculpted like a porcelain doll. A little doll dressed in pretty, frilly clothes. Sumireko was sure the girl hadn’t been there when she looked just now – Sumireko would have noticed something like her.

The girl had her back turned to Sumireko, unmoving. Sumireko rubbed her eyes. She was very sure the sight before her was real, or at least if she was daydreaming she couldn’t tell. Then, as if noticing Sumireko, the girl turned around. The unnatural precision as the girl did so unnerved Sumireko. What she saw then, was a young girl’s face, sculpted to perfection.

_~I cannot face the sun, but I cannot dream at night~_

The girl started to speak. The track Sumireko left on was still playing. Because of it, Sumireko couldn’t hear what the girl spoke. She was about to remove her earphones to ask again,

_~So under the moonligh-_

When the hour turned midnight.

The world transformed in that one moment, as the street lights and her music player went out cold. The black tint of the night turned a deep shade of green, puddles became colored in blood, and the moon above grew several sizes in magnitude as its oppressive green glow covered the world. In the distance, people vanished and were replaced with huge black coffins.

All this happened in the span of about a second.

To all this, Sumireko sighed.

"There it is again.” Her expression turned sour. There wasn’t a trace of surprise within her expression. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with it on my first night here.”

She looked around her. Just like she remembered, all she could see were coffins, everywhere. She was alone.

Sumireko had hurried for the exact reason of wanting to avoid this transformation of the world around her. Why did she stop walking in the middle of the road again? She couldn’t quite remember. Maybe she was just daydreaming again. Either way, now that it had hit, there was no need to rush anymore. Renko was right, she felt used to this already. Sumireko continued to sing alone in the night as she walked ahead.

“So under the moonlight, I’ll march on...”

X-X-X

Sumireko’s everyday life was plagued by a certain phenomenon she came to call ‘the midnight hour’. As its name indicated, every night at exactly midnight the world around her would transform into a grotesque caricature of itself, filled with blood and hues of green.

No one other than Sumireko was aware of the phenomenon, as everyone would inexplicably turn into coffins for the duration of the hour. For them, time continued normally. For Sumireko, it was a mind-boggling mystery that troubled her to no end. Not that anything ever happened during them. Sumireko just slept right through them most of the time.

“Ah, I was hoping this wouldn’t happen in Iwatodai too...” Alone within the sea of green and blood, Sumireko could only wistfully embrace the sudden silence, as the only living thing that remained awake at this time. If only she knew anything about this phenomenon. Perhaps she could’ve actually enjoyed the silence it brought.

“When you think about it, we should’ve verified whether this phenomenon was worldwide or not.” Again Sumireko heard a voice. This time however, her shoulders relaxed. There was nothing to be worried about. After all, Sumireko could tell this one was just a byproduct of her imagination.

“It’s not like that was ever an option, Renko.” Sumireko’s gaze turned to her left. There, her eyes saw a young woman walking beside her. Sumireko’s fictional creation, Usami Renko.

“Still, we both assumed it was just something that happened everywhere. Yet you were disappointed to find out it happened here too. Isn’t that a little strange?” Sumireko saw Renko’s fingers play with her hair as the latter spoke nonchalantly.

Sumireko pouted. “I was a little hopeful, that’s all.”

“Even though you planned your train trip so that you’d be in bed before midnight hit?” Renko laughed. Sumireko knew all along it was illogical to be disappointed. Yet she was. Why was that? Sumireko herself wasn’t sure, so neither was Renko.

“Well, it’s not a big deal. Let’s move on,” Renko concluded and walked ahead. Sumireko had come to the same conclusion, so she accepted it.

“Don't leave me behind, Renko.” Sumireko hung her head down and followed at a sluggish pace.

**BANG**

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion rang out in the distance. Sumireko stopped alone in her tracks and looked upwards. Her first thought was that it might’ve been another hallucination, another trick of the mind. But that changed moments later as Sumireko noticed a dark silhouette in the distance ahead, hopping from building to building. She shook her head to reconfirm she was still of sound mind, but when she opened her eyes again the silhouette was still there, moving around.

“What on earth…”

It was about to disappear from her sight. Sumireko stood there alone, eyeing the distant silhouette as best as she could.

“No… wait!” Sumireko felt a sudden urgency and curiosity within her, and they made her chase after the shadow.

She was aware that she wasn’t thinking clearly. She had no reason to chase after it. It might actually be quite dangerous. It’s not like she would be anywhere near capable enough to catch up to it either. _**But to think something else could move during this time...**_

As expected, she found herself panting on the ground nearby very quickly, completely exhausted. There was only so much a physically frail girl like her could exert.

“Just what was that? It’s already gone... I’ve never seen anything like that during this time…” Sumireko let herself lie on the ground, getting small bits of dirt and gravel all over her clothes. “Hah… It’d be terribly convenient if it came my way instead.”

Doubt began to seep in, about whether she actually had seen the shadowed figure earlier. As hard as it was to admit it, her eyes weren’t very reliable. No, it must’ve just been a hallucination. Sumireko was tired after all. Without any signs of the thing again after a while, she decided that there would be no more detours tonight. She pushed herself up and returned to walking through the streets towards where her dorm was supposed to be. With her music player still not working, Sumireko continued humming the song earlier to distract herself from the thought of the shadowed figure.

However, this newfound rhythm was soon disturbed again. A sound from the shadows in a nearby alleyway caught Sumireko’s attention. It sounded like something was rushing towards her. Sumireko ducked, and narrowly avoided a fatal blow as a set of claws passed through empty air and buried themselves in the concrete.

Her eyes traveled from the pierced concrete towards the direction the claws came from. In the corner she saw a dark blob slowly crawl closer. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. It was a puddle of liquid, yet it moved like it had a solid mass. Sumireko was scared silent. The right words didn’t come to mind, much less the need to say them. Something was attacking her and she had never seen anything like it before. But she kept observing it. Whatever it was, the blob was slow enough for her to look at clearly. It was a puddle of black goo, with a pair of thin arms and a distinct-looking expressionless red mask adorning its top.

Nothing should be moving around at this hour.

Demons? Aliens? Terrors that mere men couldn’t understand? Now that she thought about it, it seemed like it could be some kind of otherworldly horror, like the ones she liked reading about. Upon thinking of it that way, Sumireko's trembling became worse. The blob lunged at her and Sumireko immediately leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding it. She heard it crash into a nearby coffin. There was no room for thought, Sumireko’s basic instincts took over.

She ran. Without even looking where she was going, Sumireko ignored the suitcase she left behind and sprinted as hard as she could. She could hear the blob crashing into things behind her, which only made her run faster. The first turn that she noticed was an opportunity to shake off the blob, and she took it.

It led into a dead-end alley. Sumireko cursed her luck the moment she realized it. With no choices left, she ran in anyway until she backed herself into a corner filled with trash. She turned around in a panic, and couldn’t see the blob anymore. She hoped for a moment it hadn’t followed her and breathed a sigh of relief. Which didn’t last long.

Sumireko gritted her teeth. Who would’ve thought that her first day returning to Iwatodai would include running away from a monster and her possible death? This city really was out for her and her family’s blood. Ignoring the surrealness of the situation at hand for the time being, Sumireko grabbed the nearest solid object, a wooden stick, and stood her ground as the blob appeared again.

She couldn’t die like this. Renko wouldn’t allow it. _**Merry**_ wouldn’t allow it. Holding the stick before her, Sumireko made her resolve - yet at the same time she feared for her life. She shook and shivered, and doubted that she’d survive.

“C-come on! You don’t… you don’t scare me at all!” As shaky as her voice was, she shouted loudly to gather scraps of what was left of her courage.

The shadow lunged with its claws, and Sumireko attempted to block it with her stick. It was far more powerful than what she expected however, and the stick broke into pieces, forcing Sumireko to duck before her face would be smashed into the concrete. Still refusing to back down, she started throwing whatever she could get her hand across. Rocks, bricks, garbage, bottle shards, all of those bounced off the blob’s surface, but it didn’t seem to react at all. Her hands began to bleed and she had to crawl deeper into the alley to find more things to throw.

The blob rammed into her directly and threw her to the wall, and she fell to the ground.

Sumireko gasped for air.

The direct hit hurt, and the scrap of courage Sumireko mustered evaporated away. There was nothing else she could do. She huddled herself into the corner, whimpering. “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die…” Any scrap of confidence she displayed earlier was nowhere to be seen.

“Anyone… someone… Renko… please, save me....”

No matter how she tried, she couldn’t imagine Renko standing there between her and it. There was no invincible hero who would never lose to all the bad things in this world. There was only the shadowy blob about to leap.

Sumireko braced herself for the impact.

Yet no final blow came.

Sumireko heard nothing. But she felt her heart racing. She opened her eyes and saw the blob in front of her was impaled by a handful of oversized needles. Before the blob could react, several paper ofuda appeared in the air and formed a box around it. And then, light consumed it. A strange unintelligible shriek preluded its death. Sumireko averted her eyes from the light. When she opened her eyes again, the blob was gone.

“...Renko?” Still on the ground surrounded by the garbage heap, Sumireko turned her head upwards. Yet what was there was not her.

Floating above in the air was a winged humanoid being with crimson butterfly scales emerging from its arms like wings. They could easily be mistaken for huge, Japanese-styled sleeves reminiscent of a miko. The rest of its body was covered by a shrine maiden’s garb. Its figure was more feminine than masculine, but Sumireko hesitated to call it female. Most notably, its face, framed by its neck-length hair, was a pitch-black void, yet Sumi could feel it staring towards her.

The being simply floated there, continuing to examine Sumireko who in turn stared back in awe. Then, it dispersed into a blue mist that faded away.

It wasn’t Renko, yet something about it reminded Sumireko of Renko.

As the mist dissipated, it revealed that someone else stood there at the far end of the alley. It was a young woman, taller than Sumireko. The darkness made it hard to distinguish her features. The woman turned her back to Sumireko, such that Sumireko couldn’t see her face, only her dark shoulder-length hair.

Sumireko, tired and beaten on the ground, tried her best to get more than just that, but could barely make out anything else. The woman began to walk away. Sumireko wanted to shout after her, but she found herself unable to speak. If she couldn’t speak, she’d try to catch up to her instead, Sumireko decided.

By the time Sumireko forced herself to stand up again however, the stranger had already disappeared.

X-X-X

After gathering her thankfully unharmed luggage and wrapping her hands with some bandages, Sumireko walked on. The hour was nearing its end and Sumireko remembered the dorm was near. Just a few steps further, and she found it. A four-story building owned by the renowned Kirijo Group. Seeing it, Sumireko felt that she should be relieved, but her heart was still racing when she arrived.

_What were those things earlier?_

The blob that had almost killed her, the butterfly person, the dark haired woman. None of them felt real. No matter how real the gashes on her hands were, Sumireko had a hard time believing that any of it was real. This was yet another nightmare. Her mind was in too much disarray to even talk to Renko at this point.

But at least, she was alive.

How much it hurt just to drag her luggage with her hand right now, was enough proof that this was real. And that, despite everything, she was alive. Acknowledging this, Sumireko decided to not think about the earlier event too much for now.

Yet, the moment she actually paid attention to the building in front of her, she realized something was amiss. Unlike the neighboring buildings, the dorm’s lighting was clearly working.

“This night’s getting weirder and weirder...”

However, as strange as that was, it was nothing compared to what had happened earlier. This piqued her curiosity more than it deterred her with fear. Sumireko pushed caution to the back of her head and walked towards the front door. As she felt the coldness of the handle, her mind wandered again.

For a moment, the image of her encounter with the blob earlier returned to her head. She was almost skewered. Torn apart. For a short moment, the mental image passing through her mind became graphic.

Sumireko shivered. What if she found more of those blobs inside? At the same time, the Midnight Hour would end soon. She could wait it out, but at the same time, the strangeness of this building made her too curious to stop now.

She could feel something inside of her pushing her forward. Entrusting herself to it, Sumireko pushed the door open.

As the door opened, beyond it revealed a very well-decorated waiting hall. The royal red carpet and golden candelabras on the wall evoked an aristocratic mood. And, the lights inside were definitely working. Without that taking all her attention, Sumireko would be marvelling at how fancy everything looked and if this was really the right dorm for her.

Sumireko stepped inside. As if that had triggered a trap, a voice rang out. “Who’s there?!”

A green-haired girl suddenly appeared from the far end of the hall. Her breathing was ragged and her expression fearful. She was around Sumireko’s age at a glance, and in fact she wore the same uniform Sumireko would have to begin wearing from tomorrow onwards. The only element of the girl’s attire Sumireko felt was suspicious was some sort of holster strapped to the girl’s waist. She could’ve sworn she saw a gun there.

“Ah, I uh…”

“I said who’s there?!”

Sumireko’s head was groggy from the adrenaline and she honestly had no idea how to answer that. Just then, another voice sounded. “Stop, Sanae!”

At that moment, Sumireko felt it instinctively. The hour that came every night at midnight had passed. The slight green tinge that was ever present in the air around her had been lifted – and with it, Sumireko felt a heavy weight had been lifted from her. As if she could feel the change too, the girl in front of Sumireko relaxed her shoulders. From the staircase, Sumireko saw a second person descending in a more energetic manner. She too wore the same uniform as the first girl, although rather than a skirt, she was wearing pants. It evoked a certain handsome imagery to that girl.

The second, taller girl walked towards the two of them and addressed Sumireko. “Didn’t think you’d arrive so late. I heard about you from the Chairman.” Her curly blonde locks shook as she spoke. “My name is Kirisame Marisa, I’m a resident here.”

“Who’s she?” the green-haired girl asked meekly. Her voice was no longer panicked, but there was a hint of alarm to her tone and eyes.

“She’s a transfer student. Was a last minute decision to assign her here.”

"...That one, huh."

As Marisa began to explain to the other girl, it finally truly sunk in for Sumireko. She was enrolled here to study at Gekkoukan High School. She would live in this dorm for two years at least. This fancy dorm, that she only got into due to her aunt’s connections. Sumireko didn’t particularly want to, but before today she also didn’t have any objections to it. She had no one to say goodbye to at her old school in Kyoto anyway. Incidentally, the first day of school was the very next day.

Yet, after all this, Sumireko didn’t even know if staying here was even the right idea or not.

The green-haired girl considered the older girl’s words carefully, then nodded. “...I’m sorry for startling you earlier. I’m Kochiya Sanae.”

With both of them having introduced themselves, the conversational flow returned to Sumireko. “Ah, me? I’m... Usami Sumireko. It’s uh, nice to meet you two.”

“Well then.” The older girl, Marisa, took it in stride. She exuded a positive, confident air as she turned to Sanae. “Now that we’re all acquainted, can you take Usami here up to her room? It’s pretty late right now, it’s better to get everyone to sleep properly.”

Amidst the many questions Sumireko had, some as urgent as why the greenhead had a gun, she readily agreed. As much as she wanted answers, Sumireko was physically and mentally drained. More than anything, she wanted a warm bed to sleep in. Sanae happily accepted as well, and they walked together to the fourth floor. Sumireko noted Marisa had stayed behind, possibly to lock up the door and windows.

"The seniors sleep upstairs, so best not to come there uninvited. But putting that aside, here we are.” They arrived at a door at the very end of a hallway on the third floor. “If you need anything, you can usually find me downstairs."

“Yeah, about that…” Sumireko shifted her gaze between the door handle to her room and Sanae. “Nah, it’s nothing. I’ll ask later.”

“Aha…” For some reason Sanae had a nervous expression on. “Right then, good night. I hope you enjoy your stay here, Usami-san.”

“Good night.”

Sumireko stepped into the room. Inside was just as fancy as the outside. She had her own desk, her own bed and dresser, and more space than her old cramped room at her aunt’s place. This was now her room. She looked to the suitcase at her side. Despite going through the same ordeals as her just now, it only had a bit of dirt on it. This suitcase that contained her most valuable belongings.

No, she was too tired to even unpack. She clumsily placed her glasses on the table and threw her socks away somewhere, and she collapsed onto her new bed. The softness and warmth comforted her, and she surrendered herself to the clutches of a good night’s sleep.

All that was on her mind now was the image of Merry’s warm smile as sleep claimed her conscious mind.

X-X-X


	2. Ms. Lonely Hedgehog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Contains deliberate usage of suggestive language on a scene near the end of the chapter.

X-X-X

### Chapter 2: Ms. Lonely Hedgehog

_Tuesday, 7th of April 2009_  
Dormitory  
6.30 AM

“Having a mystery case to solve is sure troublesome. How does Renko even manage to deal with so many?”

Sumireko let out a deep breath as she leaned back heavily on her chair. Even before sunrise, she was already sitting in front of her laptop, forcing herself to stay awake to write down her experiences last night. The fatigue and some of the pain still lingered, but she kept typing. She felt like she wouldn’t be able to think straight otherwise.

As words formed on the screen before her, Sumireko’s thoughts began to sort themselves out. The blob-like creature that almost killed her, the floating butterfly maiden that had saved her, and most importantly, the young woman she saw a glimpse of.

Who was she? Who had dared to intrude into her personal, frozen world? Sumireko laughed a little. That was a little preposterous of her. It would be strange if she was the only one experiencing it. Learning that there were other people active within that frozen world filled her with hope, along with fear.

“And… post!”

With one click, her long post had been posted on the foreign occult forum she was in. She didn’t bother to check for spelling mistakes, and went to pack her bags for her first day at school before going downstairs. It was time to confront the second half of this mystery. However, her first obstacle soon revealed itself. Her nose picked up the scent of coffee just as she arrived downstairs. Her gaze went towards the kitchen.

“Usami, was it? Still tired after your long trip?” The blonde senior from yesterday was there. Kirisame Marisa, was it? She had an apron on, which in Sumireko’s opinion didn’t fit her tomboyish aura very well. Even then, it actually looked cute on her. She was wearing the school uniform, but Sumireko noticed the pants she wore rather than a skirt. Was that even allowed? Sumireko stared at her blankly for a few moments, which Marisa did notice. “Sit down, I’ll make you breakfast.”

“Don’t believe her, Usami-san.” A voice immediately followed. Sumireko turned, and saw the green-haired girl that was acting hostile to her last night was there. Kochiya Sanae, if she wasn’t wrong. No pistol in sight, but she still reeked of trouble. “Kirisame-senpai can only make coffee.”

“Oi, I can hear that!”

Sumireko just nodded at their exchanges and sat right across from Sanae. Mystery or not, she was hungry after all. The green-haired girl visibly wanted to protest for a moment, but that expression disappeared right after. Sumireko looked at the cups on the drawer. There were surprisingly few of them for such a big place. That wasn’t the only thing that felt strange either. It was too quiet. It was as if there were only the three of them in this large and overly fancy dormitory building. That was suspicious.

“Um...are there other people in this dorm?” Sumireko couldn’t help but ask. Between her feeling of awkwardness, and her desire to stay on guard regarding these two, her words felt weak. These two were also key in the mystery surrounding last night, yet Sumireko struggled to start digging. If only she were Renko...

“Yep.” Marisa was the one to answer, still in the kitchen. “There’s one more resident aside from us three. Though, she wakes up really early and leaves way, way before school actually opens. She’s kinda weird like that.”

“That makes it only four people here, right?” Who was even paying for this sort of fancy building only for four teenage girls, anyway? Not her aunt, surely. This was getting more fishy.

“Yeah, the rent here is unreasonable.” Not long after, Marisa came with a tray of three cups of coffee in different colored cups. Sumireko got hers in a purple cup, while Marisa’s own was orange. Sanae’s cup was white, with a cutesy panda design to it. Sumireko frowned. She wanted that one instead. Marisa sat on the other side of the table as Sumireko looked at Sanae’s cup with jealousy. After a while, Sanae noticed. “You don’t like purple, Usami-san?”

“U-uh… no, not really. I’ll keep using this one.”

Sanae’s question at least snapped Sumireko out of that nonsense. A short moment of silence followed as the three drank their coffee. Sumireko kept her eyes on both of the other girls as she did so. She gathered her courage, and opened her mouth.

“About last night...”

“Oh right!” Cutting Sumireko off before she was able to finish, Marisa suddenly exclaimed. “We were supposed to talk to you about the school last night. Bit of an introduction and all that, you know? But since you were too tired back then, we can do it now. There’s still a while before school, anyway.”

“But that’s not...” Sumireko was too weak to stop Marisa’s excitement however, and ended up just nodding along to Marisa’s idea while frowning. The two seemed to be oblivious to her response, and went on a long winded story about the school, its history, and some of its more (in)famous teachers. Sumireko barely managed to stay awake throughout due to her desire to dig some truth out of them outweighing her fatigue.

“There’s this Edogawa guy that the school hired to teach some really weird stuff, and there’s also good old Ekoda, who doesn’t even know what a computer is. You’re better off not saying anything sophisticated to him or he’ll yell at you …”

_I’ll figure out what you two are up to, sooner or later._ You think I’m just a naive girl when it comes to the supernatural, don’t you? Sumireko thought as she sipped the rest of her coffee in silence. She could hear her stomach rumbling, but she was too deep in her thought to actually do anything about it.

After a while, the other two noticed Sumireko spacing out.

“Are you listening, Usami-san?” Sanae was looking at her, concerned.

“A-ah, of course! About that Edogawa Conan kid and Ekado-sensei and uh… Oka… Onigiri-sensei, right?”

“...Kirisame-senpai, I think Usami-san’s hungry.”

X-X-X

After Sanae took over the kitchen and actually prepared a decent breakfast for the three of them, Sumireko immediately excused herself to go to school on her own, despite Sanae’s offer to accompany her. She wasn’t in the mood to be asked a lot of questions, and especially not when she herself had a lot of questions she wanted to ask the two. Sumireko went on her way without looking back. Actually paying attention to her map this time, she realized just how close the dorm was to the train station. It felt like the close call of last night really was just her own curiosity getting the better of her. To distract herself before she began cursing herself for last night’s event, Sumireko plugged in her headset. However, rather than music, another voice was there to greet her.

“But that’s the fun part, isn’t it?”

“It’s quite early for you, Renko.” Sumireko just shook her head as the form of the all-too familiar college student formed to her side. It was always nice to have Renko in a situation like this though, and it made Sumireko smile a little. With a peppy J-pop song accompanying her, she began conversing with Renko like always.

“Come on, you know I can’t stay put when there’s a mystery to solve.”

“Yeah, that’s not surprising coming from you.” Sumireko smiled. Though, despite what was said, Renko didn’t push her to do anything. The two had arrived at the train station. Sumireko flashed her card, while Renko just waltzed through the machine.

“Already figuring out your plan for digging into this case?”

“That sure would be convenient, but no. I’m not some sort of genius that can bullshit plans out of nowhere all the time.” Sumireko mumbled as she struggled against a wave of students and corporate drones that flooded into the train. Not long after, Sumireko managed to secure a seat for herself, while Renko had elected to remain standing right in front of her. Nobody stood at Renko’s current position, thankfully. Imagining her form superimposed upon, say, a dead-faced adult would be really hard.

“But on that note, do you even have anything in mind to get those two to talk?” Sumi asked.

“But of course!” Renko looked proud of herself as she exclaimed. Her confidence was making Sumireko a little jealous. “You need to get to know them before extracting information out of them. A detective needs to get herself informed if she is to piece things together.”

“Hah… that sounds reasonable enough. As expected of an ace detective.” Sumireko pondered the situation as she looked at the scenery. The open sea contrasted with the well-coordinated cityscape was pleasant to look at. If she wasn’t too worried about her current predicament, maybe writing during these train trips could be nice. No, she was distracting herself. The artificial island where her new school was located made itself visible in the distance. Without the trip itself being memorable, Sumireko had already left the train and went on her way from the station to the school. Renko was still at her side, humming something. Seeing her figure, not worried about the situation at all, made Sumireko think about something.

“Hm, this might be a leap of logic but hear me out.” Sumireko inhaled deeper. “What if that person that I saw last night was the fourth member of the dorm?”

Renko didn’t answer other than giving her a smile. Before any clarification could be made, however, Sumireko’s thought broke as she realized where she was, and with it, Renko’s form too disappeared. Right before her were the gates of Gekkoukan High, the place where she would study for the next two years. Passing through students chatting with each other, Sumireko pushed away the gnawing feeling of loneliness inside. With Renko on her side, Sumireko walked past the gate.

For a new start, she felt like nothing had really changed.

X-X-X

As she entered the school building, she could feel it. The students around her were staring at her. They observed her unfamiliar form. Judging her. It reminded her too much of the gazes she received back in Kyoto; gazes aimed at a pariah. Sumireko thus ignored the crowd of people surrounding a notice board not far from her, and slipped from attention to go to a nearby vendor. Minutes later, Sumireko was on her own again, with a bag of cream bread in her hand. Calm down, this is just your first day of school. Things can be different here. Sumireko repeated those words in her mind as she found somewhere quiet to sit and eat. She finally settled and found a seat for herself in an outdoor corridor.

Sumireko let out a sigh. “I’m finally here… A new school.”

Last night’s events had been a running cause of concern for her so far, but ultimately the prospect of having to deal with a new school felt more daunting for her. While Sumireko agreed that it was for the best to change schools, getting used to a new place was still going to be a nightmare of its own. Still feeling tense from everything, Sumireko opened the bread’s package and took a bite from it. It was sweet. A little too sweet for her tastes, but the creamy aftertaste remaining on her mouth was not bad at all. Sumireko felt her self-control had returned...

“So, what do you think I should do now, Renko?”

“Sounds like a good time to make friends.”

“Ha, very funny.” Despite her unamused tone, Sumireko smiled. Renko sat on her side, looking at her with her mischievous smile. Giving Renko control of her right arm, their finger went to Sumireko’s mouth, and wiped the remaining cream from around her mouth before Sumireko licked it clean. It was strangely romantic.

“Still, I suppose that might be nice.” The sweet taste still lingered in Sumireko’s mouth.

“I’m just kidding. You know what I say about friends, right?”

“Of course. If they don’t have anything to give to me, there’s no point in becoming friends with them.” Sumireko’s gaze went upwards. The greenery around her was calming, albeit in a way that made her feel melancholic. She saw students in the corridor ahead running back to the school. The opening ceremony was going to start soon. “Still, I do feel lonely.”

“You already have me, and the two of us share Merry together. Surely you don’t need anyone else, right?”

Sumireko chose to not answer the question.

X-X-X

The opening speech was unbearably boring and Sumireko slept through all of it. It was a miracle that nobody chewed her out. After washing her face to remove her sleepiness, she ran straight towards her class. The sight of students mingling with each other freely greeted her once she was there. Being second-years, they were all familiar with each other already. There was no room for a newcomer like her to penetrate through their circles. And amongst them was Sanae, talking with three other girls that might be her close friends. It was a little surprising that the two of them actually shared a class. Whether this was a blessing or a curse, Sumireko had no idea yet.

There were other students too, like the boyish-looking girl with short orange hair, wearing hair accessories that reminded her of a tiger’s stripes. A flighty-looking brown-haired girl currently talking with someone who looked more reserved than her, though the other girl seemed to barely tolerate her conversation partner’s presence. There was a foreign exchange student as well, his facial features suggested that he was of European descent. Maybe he was French? Could be Belgian though, if Poirot had taught her anything. A redhead girl that looked like she was part of a rock band from her mannerism. A sporty girl tying her hair in a ponytail. There were so many people at once, people that Sumireko would be forced to familiarize herself with for the next year.

Sumireko decided to not make further guesses. Everyone’s colorfulness was overwhelming. Sumireko went straight to her designated seat. Luckily for her, no one initiated conversation as she walked past. Her appearance didn’t attract a lot of attention. She wondered how things would have been had she arrived here with Sanae. She shuddered at the thought.

A moment later, a sour-looking teacher walked in and commanded everyone to sit down, ruining the joyful air in the class. Sumireko actually felt grateful for that, as the silence helped her get a hold of herself again, but that gratitude only lasted until the teacher began to speak.

“My name is Ekoda. First thing that I will establish here, I am not your actual homeroom teacher. Miss Okazaki will be absent for the time being due to her being hospitalized. I’ll be substituting for her until she returns.” His voice was sour, and everything about the man was painfully dull as well. At least he was just a substitute. Though… the name sure was familiar…

“I need to return to handle my own class’s homeroom session, so we will quickly have everyone introduce themselves. We’ll start from the first name on the attendance list then.”

Sumireko gulped. It would be a while before her turn, but eventually she had to come up with a good, impactful self-introduction. She didn’t even know what to say. Something interesting about herself? Ha, as if. There was no way she would open up intimately to these philistines. Butchering introductions was like second nature to her, so maybe she should just wing it? But-

Her thought process was abruptly cut off as she realized the girl next to her had introduced herself. Sumireko stood up, only to see Ekoda muttering something to himself at the sight of her. Thinking about it, wasn’t he one of the teachers Marisa talked about this morning?

“Don’t waste my time like this, and quickly introduce yourself!” His sour voice blared through the room. Sumireko panicked. Without thinking further about her reply, she introduced herself with words that passed right through her mind at that instant.

“I… I am Usami Sumireko. I came here from Kyoto. I’m a new student here. I like reading, and unlike Mr. Ekoda over there, I know what a computer is.”

Silence.

No, Sumireko swore she could hear Ekoda’s vein pop. It occurred to her that may not have been the best thing to say. No, deep inside maybe she did want to annoy the substitute teacher a bit.

“Um… that is all.” She timidly sat down. Immediately, the class erupted into heavy laughter. Even Sanae at the back of the room was trying her hardest to not laugh.

“Wh-what did you just say, you… transfer student…?!” Sumireko dared not look up from her desk, but she heard pure venom dripping from Ekoda’s voice. To put it colloquially, she was ‘on his shit list, effective immediately’. No, he didn’t quite seem like the type of teacher to say that. But Sumireko was definitely in for it now. She snuck a glance at the class, and everyone seemed a lot more lighthearted now. She met Sanae’s eyes, who smiled.

She wasn’t sure whether to return it.

X-X-X

Ekoda left not long after to attend to his own class, and he was followed by the Mathematics teacher, Ms. Miyahara. Sumireko could barely keep up with the class. As excited as the teacher was, she seemed to be more interested in playing with the numbers rather than actually teaching. The lunch break bell became her salvation, and she rushed out from class the moment it rang. She very much wanted to spend this break time alone, so it was best to quickly eat and then leave the cafeteria. If Gekkoukan was like any other school, the cafeteria was likely to become packed very quickly. Sumireko had to hurry before that happened.When she arrived, she was already panting heavily.

“This is ridiculous. I’m not even trying to outrun some monster and I’m still exhausted...”

“Usami-san!” Just as Sumireko managed to catch her breath however, Sanae caught up to her from behind without breaking a sweat.

Speaking of monsters and weird things…

“Why did you run out of class like that? I wanted to talk to you.”

“I, well… was hungry?” Sumireko voiced the first thing on her mind.

“But still, you could’ve waited for me. We're dormmates, after all. Don't you think it's for the best that we get closer to each other?” As the two talked, students were already flowing into the cafeteria. Sumireko’s ‘plan’ was ruined.

“I'm still hungry.” Sumireko practically repeated the earlier answer. Sanae looked at her, unamused.

“Come on, if you keep to yourself on your first day of school, it’ll be hard for you to make friends later on…” Sanae pouted, but she then seemed to have an idea. “Oh, how about you sit with us?”

"...Us?"

With a happy face, Sanae grabbed her wrist and dragged her to another table nearby without even answering Sumireko's inquiry. Sumireko thought to resist, but seeing how excited Sanae was to introduce her to her friends, Sumireko ended up relenting. Sitting there were four girls that seemed to be close to Sanae. Three of them were the girls that Sanae had talked with earlier today. They looked at Sanae warmly, and then questioningly when they saw Sumireko accompanying her. It occured to Sumireko that maybe Sanae was a very popular girl. Looking around at the gazes Sanae got both from boys and girls seemed to confirm it somewhat.

Riding the flow of events, Sanae excitedly took the initiative to introduce Sumireko.

“This is Usami-san. She just transferred in so she’s not familiar with our school yet. She lives in the same dorm as me, so I’m guiding her around.” Sanae gestured to Sumireko, who felt compelled to respond somehow. She settled on a nod to the four. Upon hearing that they were dormmates, Sumireko thought one of the girl’s eyes glinted in a nasty way. “And these, Usami-san, are the people I lunch with regularly. And Aya-chan! I haven’t seen you since spring break.”

“That’s not so long ago, Sanae-chan.” One of the four on the table was a girl with short black hair, and a bright, jumpy disposition. “I’m Aya, by the way. Shameimaru Aya.”

“She’s a bit of a strange girl… so don’t be too weirded out by her, alright?” Sanae continued on, ignoring the offended ‘hey!’ coming from the black-haired girl. “And these other three are...”

“Kasukabe Daiya, pleasant to meet you.” The foreign-looking girl with platinum-blonde hair quickly snapped to reply. Despite her words, the way she looked at Sumireko was anything but pleasant. Her two friends introduced themselves after. Yamato Suzuhana and Paku Haibara. As much as Sumireko wanted to just forget about these names, being close to Sanae meant that she’d have to deal with them more in the future, probably. As the introduction resolved itself, Sumireko wasn’t sure what to say and what to do, other than nodding along as the conversation continued. Barring Aya, the rest of Sanae’s friends didn’t seem like they had any actual interest in her anyway. That was for the best though - the sentiment was mutual on Sumireko's end.

The group conversation quickly turned towards other topics Sumireko had no particular interest in, such as gossip about their friends’ relationships and currently airing movies. Sumireko looked to Sanae, hoping to convey with her facial expression that she wanted to leave and eat in peace. When they made eye contact, Sumireko realized from Sanae’s excited expression that her plan had backfired.

“Oh, we can't just leave Usami-san behind like this! Usami-san, why don't you say something this time?” Sanae turned the conversation back to Sumireko. “You should tell us a bit about yourself.”

“You are the new student after all, it’s your obligation to make yourself known.”

“Yeah! You said you’re from Kyoto. How is it like living over there? Is it like, full of old people?”

“Who taught you to piss off Ekoda anyway? That was great, back there in class.”

Sanae’s suggestion was met with a wave of approval from the others. Except for Daiya, notably, who had been busying herself with her lunch ever since she reluctantly introduced herself earlier.

“...Well...” Sumireko squirmed in her seat, struggling to come up with something to say. She decided on the easiest question. “Kirisame-senpai told me about Ekoda, and I-”

“Kirisame-senpai?! You know her?”

“We uh… live in the same dorm, yes.” That incited a wave of impressed ‘ooh’s, even though the truth was just that. And they should have known that Marisa was in the same dorm as Sanae… right? They talked about it with each other for awhile before continuing with the next question.

“So do you have any friends back in Kyoto?”

“I...uhh…don’t really...” The question made Sumireko pause. The other girls continued to look at Sumireko with curiosity. Even the disinterested Daiya was now giving her some attention, for some reasons. Something made Sumireko think that if she didn’t answer this properly, she would ruin her chance of socializing with them. A negative answer was not allowed here. She looked around in hope of seeing Renko, but she was nowhere to be seen. Of course, Renko wouldn’t help her in this sort of situation.

Instead, the image of Maribel Hearn begin to fill her mind instead.

“I have a… very close friend. She’s a foreigner living in Kyoto. I spend lots of time with her everyday.” The words flowed better once she began to talk. She probably sounded a little lovestruck there. However, rather than saving her, it only prompted more questions from the other girls. Aya was especially fired up after the answer she gave. Daiya looked like she gave a sigh of relief for some reason before asking some questions of her own, while the other two just incessantly went further and further, asking for increasingly private answers from Sumireko.

She couldn’t handle it anymore. She had said too much already. Going further would definitely destroy her chance of having a manageable school life here. Off the corner of her eyes, she saw that some of the students had already left the cafeteria. It was an out.

Sumireko stood up and ran away from the table, not bothering to look back for even just a moment.

X-X-X

When class finally ended for the day, Sumireko wanted to go home. She had enough things to worry about already, and teenage social situations were things she had little desire to dedicate some of her little grey cells to. But when Sanae approached her desk, Sumireko knew her ordeal wasn’t quite over yet.

“What is it now?”

“Kirisame-senpai wants to treat us to some snacks. Would you like to go, Usami-san?” Unlike before, Sanae didn’t have a bright smile on her face anymore. Instead it was a look of slight guilt.

“...I suppose that won’t hurt.” At least it was just with Sanae and Marisa. And perhaps she could dig some information out of them this way. The two of them were to go to an establishment called Chagall Cafe at the nearby Paulownia Mall, and met up with Marisa there. According to Sanae, it was an oft-visited establishment for Gekkoukan students and as a high school girl, Sumireko was guaranteed to regular the place. Sumireko really wanted to object to that statement. She had little to no real reason to go outside unless it was for class, but she kept that to herself. Along the way, Sanae apologized for earlier.

“No seriously, it’s fine, you can stop apologizing already...” Sumireko wasn’t sure how to react, but at least it was a little satisfying to hear it.

“No, no, it’s really my fault. I was carried away, I should’ve made sure to prevent them from barraging you with questions…”

“Well, I doubt they’d be interested in me now, at least…” None of the four had approached Sumireko after lunchbreak. A benefit of being a social disaster was that other people had a high chance of just leaving her alone. But at the same time, Sumireko felt that being asked so many questions was a moment to be proud of too...

Sanae eventually decided to be silent about the issue, and the two finally met up with Marisa inside of the cafe. She had already reserved them a seat on the corner of the establishment, and greeted the two with a friendly grin.

“Anyway, maybe not everyone is here, but treat this as your official welcome party, Usami!”

Not everyone was here, huh? The thought of the fourth resident of the dorm came to Sumireko’s mind again, but the thought was cut short when she saw the dish being delivered to their table. Among the things that Marisa had ordered for them was… more coffee. But also actual food this time. Several slices of cake was served, along with several other assortments of pastries. It was quite too sweet-looking, but it was an actual meal.

“And don’t you tell me you’re on a diet!” Marisa let out a hearty laugh after saying that.

“Ah, of course I wouldn’t… Then, thank you for treating us, senpai.” Looking at the cake, it surely was a salivating sight even if it probably was too sweet for Sumireko. But with how the other two were clearly keeping secrets from her, Sumireko ended up playing with the thought of the cake being poisoned. It was an entertaining thought, but Sumireko decided that the two probably would like to keep her alive for their schemes. With a sigh, she tasted the cake.

As expected, it was too sweet. Marisa grinned. Sumireko had a bad feeling seeing that expression.

“Now, Usami. You took the cake. Now you can’t say I didn’t treat you, right? You already took a bite so you can’t just put the plate down and leave and say you didn’t get treated to anything. Riiiight? Which means, as a junior, now you have to listen to me. Am I right?”

Sumireko felt Marisa’s snake-like arms slowly crawl around her neck. Sumireko gulped. The thing she should have feared wasn’t the poison in the food, it was the poison in this predator’s sweet-laced words. Sumireko had no choice but to nod along to the blonde beast’s provocation, as the latter’s face twisted into a maniacal grin and drew closer.

“Then, why don’t you start by telling me every last bit of your backstory-”

“Stop it!” Sanae smacked the older girl on the head lightly, but she looked genuinely worried. “Can you save it for later? Usami-san has been hearing those questions all day long at this point.”

“Oh, alright.” Marisa readjusted her neck and then dived into the cake herself. She looked for a piece with a cherry on top, but realized that the slice was already on top of Sanae’s plate. “Sanae, you sneaky little-”

“Well, I do dare say it’s about time we properly introduce ourselves.” Sanae cut off Marisa before she could say more. “You feel a little worried, right Usami-san? You’ve been spending your morning with us two so far, but we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet.”

Sumireko slowly nodded. She already knew enough about the two, but people love introducing themselves, so she decided to be quiet instead and watch. The atmosphere here had a lot less pressure than earlier, at least.

“You can ignore that messy senpai over there for now. I’m Kochiya Sanae. I’m in the Archery club. You can drop by whenever you want if you’re interested. I moved into Iwatodai just a few months ago, so I understand what you’re going through.” Sanae offered Sumireko a handshake, which she hesitantly accepted. Her friendliness so far at least felt well-intentioned. Maybe she was being a little too friendly for Sumireko’s tastes, but she couldn’t complain.

Then it was Marisa’s turn.

“Ah, well, I’m Marisa. That’s Kirisame-senpai to you. I’m a third-year which means I’m above you two, ahaha.” Marisa patted Sumireko on the back a little violently. “You need to be less stiff, Usami. Look at you. You’re almost as bad as Sanae when she first came here you know. She was like all-”

“Marisa!”

“Alright, alright. Well uh, I don’t know what’s wrong with you exactly, but since you’re already here in Gekkoukan, you should open up a bit more, I think?” Like Sanae, she offered Sumireko a handshake. Sumireko looked Marisa in the eye. There was a mischievous glow that filled her eyes, like those of a prankster. Her hands felt warm, however. Both of them felt like good people so far.

And that threw her off.

Yesterday she saw them both able to walk around at midnight, during ‘that’ time. They were hiding that fact from her, for some reason. No, it was too much of a coincidence that the first two people she met here happened to be able to stay awake as well, even though in her entire life Sumireko had never met someone else like that before. And now she was sharing a dorm with two such people. And then there was the matter of the person that saved her from that monster last night, as well as the mysterious fourth person in the dorm.

Why was she there? Why were they there? Why were they being nice to her like this?

“Usami-san?”

“Ah.” Sumireko shook her head. It wasn’t time for her to space out, she had to focus and not let her guard down. Promptly, she accepted the handshake. “Um, are you two Americans? With this whole handshaking thing going on.”

“Pfft! Ahaha! So you can joke around after all!” For whatever reason, the two took her comment very positively. Marisa let go. “Now, it’s your turn, isn’t it?”

“Hm? For what?” She gave them a confused look.

“Introductions, Usami-san. I know you gave one earlier in class but that was well, a little _problematic_…” Sanae made sure to stress that last word. “A more genuine one if you would, please. We both want to get to know you.”

How troublesome. Sumireko thought. She didn’t expect to have to come up with yet another introduction. The one in class earlier was horrid enough as it was, and after what had happened at lunchtime, she wasn’t in the mood to talk more about herself. But she reconsidered her stance as Sanae and Marisa's expentant eyes tore her defenses to shreds. It might not hurt as much this time. Moreover, unlike those earlier times, Sumireko didn’t feel as much pressure this time. Her mood was a little uplifted, unlike before. But, it was still difficult even acknowledging that.

“Kirisame-senpai was being mean to you earlier, but she just wanted to know more about you as well. It’s the same with our classmates, really. I could tell you were uncomfortable with a lot of people earlier, so I hope you’ll at least open up if it’s just the three of us.” Sanae said.

“Um, well... I’m just me. Usami...” Sumireko thought to herself as she began to speak. For a moment, she entertained the idea that the three of them could really be friends. After all, it would be convenient. They were fellow dorm mates who both seemed to be popular, and befriending them would also help her figure out the city’s mysteries. But once again, she was at a loss for words. It was frustrating.

A minute long silence followed before Sumireko could scrounge up more words to say.

“I uh… like reading novels? I don’t know what else to say…”

“That’s fine, Usami-san. Don’t push yourself too hard.” Sanae patted her on the back. Was she pitying her? As good as her intent was, Sumireko couldn’t stand it. But she couldn’t say anything about it. Without Renko pushing her, there was no way she would be able to stand up for herself in this sort of situation. What would happen if she ended up in an outburst here? Sumireko knew that this might be overthinking things, but like earlier with Ekoda, she also had a habit of not thinking things through.

Ultimately, she didn’t continue her introduction, and the three of them talked about other things instead throughout the rest of their stay in the cafe. Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to ask them anything regarding last night either. Sanae was busy talking about various factoids about the school, while Marisa went to stuff as many of the sweets into her mouth as possible, looking proudly at Sumireko in the meantime. Was she showing off? Prompted by this feeling of powerlessness, Sumireko just went with the flow until the three of them returned to the dorm. Sumireko decided to write to get her mind off it.

Meanwhile, Marisa was busy puking up excess cake in front of the dorm.

X-X-X

Behind the locked door of her room, the soft moans of a girl could be heard. Sumireko’s suppressed imagination that she hid from everyone all day was let out now, leaked onto the white screen before her, covering it with words of love. Before her laptop, Sumireko’s pace followed her feelings and increased heartbeat. She was sweating, and her face was red. Her fingers continued to play around, releasing the emotions that she kept solely for her beloved onto the screen.

“Ahh… Merry...”

Sumireko was panting, moaning Maribel’s name over and over again as she typed. The laptop before her was the only source of light in her darkened room. Perhaps hours had passed since she had started. Sumireko’s own stamina while doing it surprised even herself.

“Sharing this time with you always feels special, no matter how many times we do it...”

Sumireko’s fingers continued their dance. Muttering the name of one girl over and over, more words were spilled into the screen. Even if she wasn’t here, even if she wasn’t real for anyone other than her, Sumireko treated this nightly writing session with Maribel as a sacred moment. The time where she poured all of her into the one she loved. The only way that her unworthy self could even mingle with the one girl she truly revered.

And with one last press, she reached her climax for the night.

Three thousand, two hundred, and sixty seven words had been typed by Sumireko tonight. Three thousand two hundred and sixty seven of the adventures of a girl named Usami Renko, spending her time with the one she loved.

_Until Dream do Us Part_, the one story idea that Sumireko had been working on since years ago. A story about Renko the detective, and her lover, Maribel Hearn. A story of one made out of two. Two girls in a club that sought out the truth to the mysteries of the world. Thanks to Renko’s push, Sumireko was able to bring herself back to writing it the past year after quite a long hiatus. However, as much as she had her own goal that she wanted to achieve in this story, what appealed more to Sumireko was writing Renko and Merry’s interactions. She was indulging herself in every part of Merry, using Renko to do so.

A lovely reunion. A shared hug, and a date in a restaurant. Sumireko was aware of how much those things detracted from the plot of her story, yet she did nothing to stop herself from writing the fluff. The time the two characters spent together was more important for her than any plot. Sumireko hadn't even figured out the villain to her story yet, even if she had some vague ideas on what sort of person would she be. It just wasn't as important as more Renko and Merry fluff. Seeing your girlfriend after months of her being hospitalized would of course be a good opportunity for both to indulge on each other.

Yet, as she reread what had she written, the blissful expression on Sumireko’s face turned sour.

“...So those things leaked here too...”

Without her even realizing it as she wrote, Sumireko had poured out more feelings than she had intended. Anxiety. Distrust. Fear. The events of last night… the mysterious person, Sanae and Marisa’s secrecy, her constant failures at dealing with social situations, all of those ended up being worries that continuously hounded her mind. She hoped to escape those thoughts by indulging herself with Merry, yet those thoughts ended up poisoning the sanctity of her writing. She could revise it now, but she didn’t have the motivation to deal with it. She closed her laptop in irritation before resting her head on the desk. The image of Renko and Merry holding hands flashed through her mind. Her smile returned for a short moment.

“Maybe it’s time for them to kiss...? Ah, that might be a bad idea. Maribel’s first kiss would be best served for a more grandiose moment, maybe after Renko managed to survive a dangerous situation to save her. Hm… for now, the two can just pat each others’ heads lovingly. Perfect.”

Or perhaps, she could ask Renko about her opinion. After all, she was even more eager about Merry than even Sumireko herself. She was always the one to ask to escalate the action, while Sumireko preferred a more steady approach.

As she debated with herself about the situation, a green hue enveloped the world as if it were a curtain. Once again, the Midnight Hour had fallen. The lights in her room went off, as well as her laptop. Sumireko was in no position to continue writing right now.

“Aren’t you lowering your guard a bit too much, Sumireko?”

Sumireko imagined hearing footsteps coming from behind her. It was obviously Renko, but Sumireko didn’t feel like turning around right now.

“But Renko, I’m not really in a position to investigate further. Can’t I indulge just a little for now?” Sumireko pouted.

“That’s not what an ace detective would say. The search for the truth is everlasting!” Renko puffed her chest out in pride, even if nothing was there. No, that was just a reflection of Sumireko's own situation.

“You say that, but you’d abandon a case if you could jump on Merry instead.” Sumireko shook her head. Renko merely laughed at those words, however, and the exasperated Sumireko couldn’t help but feel uplifted too. In a time like this, the presence of a reliable idolized figure was something Sumireko wanted. Renko was both that and how she expressed herself in her stories. Truly, a convenient person.

“Stop making me sound like some sort of pervert!”

“Well, you are one, Renko. But alright, let’s do something. I feel like I can’t fall asleep yet anyway.” Sumireko got up from her seat. The green hue on the air helped a little with visibility, and with Renko by her side, she managed to work up the motivation to leave her room. Outside, the lights were all off, as she expected. But as she approached the stairs, Sumireko could see that the living room still had its lights on.

“It’s real fishy, don’t you think?”

“Let’s just hope we don’t get caught.” Sumireko chose not to imagine what might happen should anyone notice her. Quietly, she walked down the wooden stairs while peeking downwards at who might still be up in the middle of this Midnight Hour.

"-need to manifest her potential first before I will authorize another mission."

Unexpectedly, she heard an unfamiliar female voice. It exuded an air of mature elegance unlike anyone else she had heard in the dorm so far. The voice scared Sumireko somewhat, but Renko kept nudging her to move closer. So, she peeked in more closely so she could see who was there. Downstairs, she could see that it was Sanae and a red-haired girl that were talking to each other. The red-haired girl really looked way more mature than even Marisa, and if she had worn anything other than Gekkoukan’s uniform right now, Sumireko would think that she was already an adult. Was she supposed to be the mysterious fourth person? Sumireko thought about it for a moment, and ultimately leaned towards no. She didn’t match the silhouette that she remembered from last night.

"Understood. I only asked this mostly because Kirisame-senpai had been nagging me for a while, saying that if she was the one who asked, you’d be guaranteed to say no.” Sanae said, sounding uncharacteristically professional.

"Sigh… she really shouldn’t treat it like a playground. You still need to work on awakening yourself more properly, on top of that.”

“I can agree with that, Kirijo-senpai.” Sanae seemed to be eager to say that, but Sumireko’s attention was taken by another part of that statement. Kirijo? As in that Kirijo Group? That explained a lot of things. Sumireko knew that the dorm, as well as Gekkoukan itself, was owned by the group. The entire artificial island they all stood on too. She just had never expected for the company’s heir to attend the same school as she was, and participate in this conspiracy involving her too. Was she perhaps the fabled fourth person? Just from a glance, this Kirijo exuded an air of intimidation just by being present. From this distance, Sumireko eyed the red-haired girl more closely as Sanae continued. “But now that you say it… Usami-san really will unlock her potential eventually, right?”

“I can’t say for sure. I would rather not force the situation on her, but I will think of something for the worst case scenarios. We can’t actually wait forever, after all.”

_"They’re talking about me, Renko."_ Sumireko whispered. Renko’s eyes were still locked on the two people downstairs in the meantime. Sumireko was befuddled. What did they even expect her to achieve here, anyway? What sort of potential were they talking about? Sumireko had a very bad feeling about this, but…

_I mean, this calls for further investigation, don’t you think?_

“Of course you would say that, huh. As expected of the Detective Prince herself.” Exasperated but still fervently curious about the thickening mystery, Sumireko accidentally raised her voice. Both Sanae and the other girl downstairs seemed to notice it.

“What was that?” Sanae was the first to stand up, looking around in confusion. Sumireko began to panic. However, before she ended up running right back to her room, Renko stopped her. Sumireko could feel Renko’s hand covering her mouth. The intent was clear. She should not make any noise now. That was what Renko wanted.

“It doesn’t seem to be an intruder. None of the sensors in this building picked up on anything.”

“Perhaps it was Kirisame-senpai?”

“Hm…” The other girl stared towards the stairs, where Sumireko was hiding. Sumireko felt the beating of her heart became chaotic. She didn’t think she could stay still, but she couldn’t imagine what would happen if either of the two found out about her eavesdropping. The red-haired girl was clearly looking in her direction, but her gaze didn’t seem to focus on Sumireko’s presence. By the time that girl shook her head in wonder, Sumireko felt like she had almost given up the ghost.

“Maybe it was just my imagination. Either way, we can’t authorize another exploration before Usami awakens her potential.”

“Alright. But… is everything alright on your end, Kirijo-senpai?”

As the conversation shifted between the two, Sumireko had already run back to her room. Her breathing was ragged, and she knew that if she looked at herself in the mirror right now, she would look very pale. She felt like her blood had stopped circulating under her skin. That was close. Way way way too close for comfort.

“Now that’s some real detective work. Isn’t it exciting?”

“...I almost got a heart attack, Renko. How can you even handle situations like this?” Sumireko complained.

“Because I can do things that you cannot do. Just like always. That’s why I’m here, after all.”

Sumireko could feel that Renko was laughing at her. For an imaginary construct, Renko sure was expressive. It was kinda scary, sometimes. At least however, Renko’s laughter helped her regain her composure, at least just to think about what was happening.

“So Renko. This really is an actual conspiracy now, huh? Do you know what should I do next?” Now that the immediate feeling of fear and panic had passed, Sumireko realized that what Renko said earlier was right. She really was very excited about this situation. It was frustrating and scary, of course, but at the same time, she felt that she was now so close to the answer of the mystery she had struggled with for the past ten years ago. This time however, Renko took her time before answering.

“I’ll leave that for you to decide.” WIth her saying that, Sumireko felt that Renko’s presence had disappeared. Sumireko took it as a sign that neither of them were in a position to think much about this right now. Feeling both physically and mentally tired, Sumireko wobbled to her bed and landed face first into her pillow.

“This mystery is going to get solved the next time you return, Renko. After all, I am you, and you are me. I'll help you figure out something, somehow.”

Wracking her mind about this mystery was of course important, but what was as important for now was sleep. As the night was still bathed with the sickly hue of the Midnight Hour, Sumireko fell asleep, hoping to have many dreams of Maribel that night, as always.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will post a short intermission in 2-3 days, hopefully. The fic is going well so far, and I think I should be able to maintain my posting schedule for at least the next 3 months.
> 
> If you think that a slightly faster update flow is important, do tell though.


	3. A Dream at Night

X-X-X

### Intermission 1: A Dream at Night

X-X-X

"You! You are the murderer, Mr. Ayatsuji!"

The evidence could not lie. I had mentally arranged all of it, and it all led to one result. With confidence, I pointed at the elderly man. With excruciating detail, as everyone’s eyes were on me, I detailed how all that evidence had made me sure that he was responsible for the murder of his own son. I spelled out his motive to the public at large, so that he would feel that the world judged him for his crime. This truth that I found was truly absolute. There was only one truth, or so a famous detective once said. I held dearly to that as a principle. And as a private detective, I have seen time and time again that life always adhered to it as a principle, too.

As I finished, everyone’s gaze shifted towards the old man in the room. Silence crept in, everyone was waiting with bated breath.

And ultimately, my words were enough to make the old man confess. I let out a sigh of relief as sound returned to the room. The expected chaos resulting from his confession swept through the room. My job here was done. As he was escorted out of the scene by the police force, I left the gathering of people quietly from a side exit. Dealing with people after solving a case always irritated me to no end, and I would rather spend my time thinking of other things rather than revisiting cases I had resolved. As if nothing had happened, I stuffed my coat and my beloved hat into my bag, and called for a taxi. I needed to work on my class' group assignment soon.

Such was the sort of life that, I, Usami Renko, had chosen to take part in.

For the most part, I was just a regular college student, albeit a very bright one in my major. But at the same time, I was also known as the Detective Prince of Kyoto, and I had worked countless times with the police as well as various clients to uncover criminal cases within this city. While I would admit that some of my methodology might not be… ethical, I believed that as long as the truth could be reached, anything should be permitted.

Inside of the taxi, I looked at my watch. It was almost 4 PM. There were still two hours before I should meet up with my group from college to work on our assignment. How droll. I was quite confident of being able to get away with being a free rider in this group task like always, but Merry would probably yell at me if she ever caught wind of this. Once I arrived at my destination, I decided to pay the nearby convenience store a visit. Several cans of cheap beer and crackers could help me last through this night.

X-X-X

Sharp pains invaded my head as I opened my eyes.

As I attempted to push my body up, I felt my hand knock something over. The clang of hollow metal cans hitting the floor gave context to what it was. I wiped my eyes and attempted to grasp the situation at hand. My head felt like it was on the verge of splitting. On the floor, I saw Kurumi, Ellen, and Kana lying on the floor unconscious, in compromising positions and at various states of undress. I pushed aside my urge to take a picture. Our group assignment was nearby, still in its unfinished state. Right next to me was what once seemingly a tower made of empty beer cans. Someone had also gotten my potato chips scattered everywhere on the floor.

It was only then that I realized that I was only wearing my underwear, and improperly at that. But nobody was awake at this time, anyway, so I decided to stay like this for a little longer as I wobbled my way to the bathroom.

I vomited.

I looked at the mirror. My face looked miserable, the usual brightness that Merry often described me with wasn't there at all. I shouldn’t make this a habit, letting myself loose among others like this. I always tried to keep a healthy distance between myself and my peers. They tend to admire me and seek me out, but I wasn’t the kind of person to like being surrounded by others, friends or bootlickers both. Friends were just people that could be useful to me, and I had to be careful not to get used by those people. They could be neat to have on occasions, but I shouldn’t get them too cushy with me.

Usami Renko had no need for friends, because I already had Merry.

I vomited, again.

I washed my face and brushed my teeth before leaving the bathroom. Everyone else was still unconscious. My head now was a little clearer than before, so I noticed that someone was missing. As I looked for her, I saw her. Louise was standing near the edges of the balcony. She didn’t look like she had been a part of whatever happened last night. Or maybe she had cleaned up better and earlier than me.

“Oh! You’re already up, Renko?”

“Why does this sort of thing keep happening with this group when I’m around…?” I went past the glass door and to the balcony, still in my undies. The apartment building was probably tall enough that nobody would notice me like this.

Seeing my current state, Louise only giggled. “You’re the one that tends to go overboard with the alcohol, so perhaps that’s why?”

I went silent. She was probably right. Rather than admitting defeat, I shifted the conversation in another direction.

“I know that there hasn’t been much progress on our task, but I fear that I have to go to Tokyo later this afternoon. I apologize.” Those words were so easy to say at this point. Sincere or not, an apology was the perfect offensive tool in a social context. I couldn’t really tell at this point when I was being sincerely apologetic and when I was using it just for convenience. Louise didn’t seem to pay it any mind, however.

“It’s fine. It’s for Merry, right?” She turned around to lean on the railing. The soft morning wind made her simple white dress flutter, while I felt a chill as it made contact with my bare skin. Still, it was nice. I gazed at the streets down below but from this height, I couldn’t see anything interesting. I turned to face Louise instead.

“...Am I that easy to read?”

“If it’s about her? Absolutely.”

A short silence followed before we both laughed. I had to concede about that point.

“Well…” Louise began to speak again. “I was thinking that tagging along with you might be fun. But I’d rather not disturb you two.”

“Thanks for your consideration.” I nodded in response. This was not the first time Louise had said something like that to me. The sad tone in her voice was noticeable. Saying anything further than this would be a mistake.

“I do think you two make for a cute couple, though! Be sure to call her before you arrive, alright? And I hope she’s recovering well too!”

“I hope so, too.” I sighed in relief. Louise didn't want to pursue the topic further, either. Without saying anything else, the two of us waited for the others to wake up as we watched over the city below us waking up from its slumber. Occasionally, I looked at the state of my groupmates and grumbled to myself.

If only I brought my camera here.

X-X-X

I arrived at the train station on 2 PM. My headache from the hangover had mostly dissipated, and I was eager for what the rest of the day would bring for me. Today was the last day before Golden Week, and I was excited to see Merry again. My luggage was by my side, looking like it was about to burst. I didn’t bother folding my clothes or packing everything else inside properly. While Merry surely would scold me for this, being messy in private was part of my cool image. I couldn’t give that up easily. Moreover, we would be staying at my parents’ house anyway.

Though, the moment I thought of Merry, she overwhelmed my thoughts. Maribel Hearn. Or so she said her name was. Due to some mistake, her visa had her name written in an unintelligible way that I still couldn’t pronounce, so I called her Merry instead. She was a foreign exchange student from Europe, not unlike Louise, that I had been close to for quite a while now. Perhaps I could say that she was my girlfriend?

Currently, she was hospitalized in Tokyo, and I’d been preparing to visit after weeks of not seeing her. The reason she was hospitalized… neither of us knew yet. It didn’t seem to be anything serious, but the doctors didn’t want to let her go. She had called me a few days ago and she sounded perfectly fine. It definitely wasn’t something major. I couldn’t wait to see her again. I wondered if she was still wearing the loose hospital clothing that showcased her-

Ah, not good. I almost drooled. But truly, she was wonderful in a way that was hard to put into words. As someone once said, if one cannot speak one must therefore remain silent. So I wouldn’t want to try to put it into words. Here, in this train station, I continued to stare at the tracks before me.

My train arrived not long after. The sight of the Tokaido Shinkansen brought back fond memories for me, even if it had only been a few months since I last boarded it. I wouldn’t label myself a full-time train enthusiast, but trains have always fascinated me since I was young. Riding them was a different sensation from all the other forms of mass transportation. Boarding a train and looking outside the window was like looking at a movie – a documentary. And of course, where best to appreciate it than on the busiest railway network in the world? Though even with my interest in trains, I would rather see Merry as soon as possible. So being stuck on the slowest train service available was a bummer. It was entirely my fault. I knew the trains would be more occupied on the verge of Golden Week, but I had allowed myself to get too occupied with everything else so I hadn’t booked it as soon as I could.

Oh well.

The vista of Japan’s countryside from the train windows was pleasing enough for me to get over my disappointment. A sight so beautiful, it’s hard to think that it was still a genuine sight rather than simply a movie reel being played with the windows as the display. Technology had yet to reach that point, thankfully. I firmly believed that there wouldn’t be any need for such a thing in the first place. The sight of these rural farmlands and pristine wilderness will always be frozen in the past - no matter how much the world around them changed, they would refuse to move forward. As they should.

Still, even the beautiful scenery couldn’t distract me from yearning for Merry. I was too used to seeing her sit in front of me whenever we traveled, and we would always talk to pass the time. Whatever came to mind I would let out to Merry, and she would listen with a smile and give back some kind of response, and our conversation would spark from there. It didn’t matter whether it was something I was studying in my faculty, or a random blurb from a science magazine I read the other day.

Sometimes we were almost flirting with each other so that we wished the train would never arrive. Other times they escalated into arguments. There was one time we argued over traditional Japanese artists. Merry got so heated when arguing for Hokusai over Hiroshige, that her face was bright red and pouting as we talked. I still think Hiroshige’s realism is more inspiring but her defense of Hokusai’s explosive madness convinced me as well. Although the added bonus of seeing a childishly flustered Merry was more than enough.

Busy with my thoughts, I almost didn’t notice a nearby presence. A girl sat down right in front of me, where Merry usually would sit. I thought at first that she didn’t even realize that she’s sitting in front of someone, but just as I blinked, her eyes were already on me, watching me with interest.

“Pardon me for intruding your daydream. Is it fine if I sit here?”

“Ah.. um, that’s alright. Don’t mind me then.”

Despite the awkward start, I ended up talking with this stranger to ease my own boredom and loneliness. She somehow had gotten lost and only managed to find her seat here and now. Her destination wasn’t Tokyo, but instead a seaside city on the way. Although the name of the city was unfamiliar to me- Iwatodai or something. Circumstances aside, she was a pleasant and polite person, and I ended up introducing myself fully to her. “I’m Usami Renko. You can just call me Renko.”

“Renko? The Detective Prince herself, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Sometimes I forget that I’m decently well-known. No harm in that, but I didn’t solve these cases for popularity, so such a thing was rarely my concern.

“Though, it doesn’t feel like you are currently the famous detective when you’re not wearing your signature hat. I’ll settle with just referring to you as Usami, instead. To me, it will feel more right.”

“...Sure?” That was a little odd. The train trip continued in silence for us, but I couldn’t help but steal some glances at the blue-haired girl. She was dressed in what looked like her pajamas down even to a red night cap with pom-poms. If it were not for her voice and demeanor, she would look indistinguishable from a child. Or at least, someone in her early teens. Something else about her struck me as odd. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but she was clearly not just a random person.

“Ah, that is an interesting book you have there.” The girl spoke again after a while. I was confused at first - I didn’t bring any of my books out of my suitcase, but I feel something hard underneath my arm just as I wanted to voice my confusion. I looked downwards.

I saw that on my lap, there was an open book. I checked on its cover and saw the image of a train departing towards the stars above. Huh. Perhaps I fell asleep earlier while reading and only realized it just now. I couldn’t really recall what the book was about, however. Maybe I hadn’t recovered from my hangover as well as I expected.

“Do you happen to read a lot?” I think I was the one to ask that to the girl.

“Oh, indeed, and I would say that it was a significant part of my daily job too. Although, the sort of books that I read might not exactly be to your liking.” The girl smiled at me. It was a smile that quite reminded me of a cat’s. Her demeanor surely betrayed the maturity behind her voice. “But I suppose, that is just a normal difference in taste. We can’t expect everyone to like the same things that we do, after all.”

“What books are those, anyway?” I decided to test her claim on a whim. It wouldn’t be the first time someone claimed that they were quite well-read on supposedly esoteric books only for them to reveal the most basic of tastes. Even as my gaze was wavering, I kept it on the girl’s eyes.

“Hm... I suppose you can call them biographies? Just, well, without the usual embellishment.” The girl was quick to answer, and I nodded in response. She was right on that front, I couldn’t be bothered to care about biographies. While I was expecting something impressive, this sort of answer made sense too.

“But more than that, however, I suppose I also have a particular fascination for endings in a story. Happy endings, tragedies, or perhaps even those endings that chose to transcend simple feelings, and would require several readings to grasp them.” The girl continued. We were strangers, and I didn’t know her name yet, even, but we talked as if we were close friends. “Of course, that includes both unsatisfying and satisfying endings, both abrupt ones and endings that are well set-up in advance.”

“Do you value endings more than the actual story itself?”

“Not necessarily. This is just something that I am endlessly fascinated about.” The girl let out a light chuckle.

“Most endings in biographies are deaths, though. With this context, your fascination feels a little grim.”

“Oh, but aren’t you familiar with death yourself, Miss Usami? Your very existence means you’re skirting that line quite often, am I right?” What the girl said was right. I only nodded in response. If I had to be honest, death kind of unnerved me as an idea, and despite my line of work, I tended to just distract myself with other things so I didn’t have to think about it too much. Still, something about this conversation felt off. I struggled to get a read on this girl. Was it because of all the alcohol last night that I had lowered my guard this much? Like an idiot, I couldn't bring myself to do much else here.

“Now, I do want to ask you a question, though it’s more to sate my curiosity.” The girl had taken the lead of this conversation. And I could only nod in response to her. What was happening to me? I felt like I was here… yet at the same time, I wasn’t. But I couldn’t do much about it. Maintaining my wobbly gaze, all I could do was follow the flow. “So, imagine yourself as the writer for the story of your life. A story about you, Usami Renko. What sort of ending would you give to yourself?”

“That… ah, please give me a moment.” It was a surprisingly hard question to answer immediately. I was not a writer, but I knew that I would enjoy the actual story itself more rather than putting much thought into the ending. If I were to write anything, I would endlessly agonize over what sort of ending I would even have to aim for. That was just how it was, I suppose. After poring myself over for what I should say in reply, however, I realized that the answer that I liked was quite simple, all along.

“Of course, what I want is to write myself a happy ending. I’m not a writer, but… my life isn’t just a story. Even if it had to threaten the integrity of the plot, I would give myself and the one I love a happy ending.”

“Interesting. In a way, I suppose that is true. Living through a life yourself would be quite different than just enjoying it through pages written by someone else. And you know, if you think about it, it would be awful if you ended up being written by someone intent of seeing a tragedy befall you. Ones that could find light from your suffering, a meaning from your despair.” The girl let out a sigh. “Well, who knows about the future, anyway? That aside though, I do wish you good luck out there. After all, your world is quite a cruel one.”

“Seeing the awfulness of others in this line of work really can get to you, yeah. If I’m not careful, I’ll be swept up by all that negativity.” I felt myself loosening up. It was getting dark outside. Still, there were many things for me to talk about here.

“I believe you have not yet introduced yourself, miss.” As I said that, I began to feel sleepy. I suppose it really was not the time for that sort of introductions. “I think I will take a short nap first though.”

“Oh, I will be getting off soon.”

That was disappointing. Hopefully we would be able to meet again later. “Is that so? Well, it’s nice to have met you then.”

“It is indeed nice to be able to talk to you too, Miss Usami. Now, sweet dreams.” And then she was gone. If I had to say, she was quite a peculiar individual.

My eyes become heavier. Right, I could afford a little sleep now. I confirmed the door was closed and locked, and that I was alone and then leaned my temple against the window glass. Thoughts of Merry clouded my consciousness and lulled me into a deep sleep, but as I closed my eyes, I saw for just a second, a hint of the blue haired girl’s smile still lingering. The girl was about to speak…

X-X-X

And Usami Sumireko thus woke up.

She grumbled as she gathered herself. The dream she just had was a little peculiar. It was from one of the chapters that she had written for her story, but she certainly didn’t remember writing many parts of it. Still, despite her recent awakening, it felt like a distant dream already. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary for a dream, anyway. Sumireko decided to move on from it and dragged herself to her desk. There were posts on her forums for her to check up on.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for being late. Usual main chapter update will still be tomorrow.


	4. Somewhat Trustworthy

X-X-X

### Chapter 3: Somewhat Trustworthy

X-X-X

_Wednesday, 8th of April 2009  
Dormitory  
6.30 AM_

“No substantial replies yet... Yeah, I’ll have to do this on my own.”

Sumireko closed her laptop, sighing. Her post yesterday about her experience during her night of arrival in Iwatodai didn’t garner any thoughtful answers. Even if it was a forum dedicated to the occult and supernatural, something like this was probably a bit too much for those people. Those other posters were probably just delusional fakers. Sumireko packed her laptop before dressing herself for her second day of school.

At this point, Sumireko had a hard time remembering when or why exactly she became very interested in the occult. Even when she first experienced the Midnight Hour, her interest in it was mostly limited to mere curiosity, even if she already dabbled in stage magic at the time. She remembered that in middle school she was so into the occult that she even came to school wearing a cape with astral engravings as its inner patterns.

Sumireko would rather not remember the reason she stopped.

"Adolescent fantasy sure is something, huh?”

“You weren’t even around back then, Renko.”

The past was the past, in the end. These days, Sumireko had put a distance between herself and anything occult. Life was hard enough for her even without such a weird interest. Even her activity in that forum had reduced significantly. Without the need to post her experiences, she would’ve left that place outright. Sumireko let out a sigh.

Once she was done braiding her hair into pigtails and wiping her glasses, Sumireko went downstairs. Renko followed behind her, giggling. Renko surely loved making fun of her. Not entirely unwarranted, but since it was Renko, at least Sumireko felt like she could retort back.

“Not all middle schoolers had to suffer through the Midnight Hour, anyway. At least, I had some justification for my chuuni-ness.”

“You’re right, but that doesn’t explain why you made your cooler self-insert into an imaginary friend. This is peak chuuni, if I would say.”

“I suppose you're not wrong.”

By the time she arrived on the living room, Sumireko noticed that only Sanae was in the kitchen. Marisa must’ve already left. And no signs of the mysterious fourth person or Miss Kirijo too. Although… especially taking into account last night, Sumireko would rather see Marisa here rather than Sanae. She could see Sanae’s smile from where she was. Sumireko knew that Sanae was kind, but Sumireko felt like Sanae was the type of ‘kind’ that Sumireko couldn’t handle at all. The class idol compared to her, the eventual class pariah. The gulf was just too big, and Sumireko would rather not see either of them try to close that gap.

And there was also the matter of the conspiracy and secrets...

“Oh, Usami-san!” Sanae finally noticed Sumireko when she sat at the dinner table. She didn’t act like anything had changed, despite last night. This must be a sign that she hadn’t noticed the eavesdropping. “Here, it’s a little simple for a meal, but I heated some soup, and there’s also some leftover grilled fish there too. Do enjoy your breakfast.”

“Don’t mind if I do then.” Sumireko dug in. It was nice, just like yesterday. Seeing Sumireko’s obvious expression of enjoyment, Sanae smiled. It was by all means a very peaceful breakfast. But Sumireko couldn’t wipe away her general feeling of suspicion. After last night, lowering her guard was not an option. Sumireko was more resolute than ever to uncover everything. But… no, she couldn’t just dig for information in this sort of situation. Not even the great detectives had the gall to outright ask a suspect about the crimes they were involved in. Regardless of the issue, Sumireko knew that it would be fruitless to push Sanae in any way during breakfast time.

Acknowledging this limitation soured her mood, however. Sumireko quickly finished her food and got up.

“Uh, I’m going to class then. Thanks for the meal.”

“Ah, please hold on then. I’ll go with you.” Sanae undid her apron and she began to pack up. This wasn’t what Sumireko had hoped to happen.

“No, no, you don’t have to, really.”

“I insist, Usami-san.” Sanae’s smile as she said so was radiant, positively glowing. Sumireko, impure as she was, could not resist looking away.

In the end, Sumireko couldn’t reject her. They were walking together to Gekkoukan before she realized it. If people saw the two of them like this, what would they think? This felt like it could start some unwanted gossip. They weren’t holding hands or anything, but being close to the class idol on her second day of school surely would turn some heads, no? Popular kids really were bad news. Or so Sumireko mumbled under her breath as she and Sanae entered the train car.

However, as much as she would rather not be here right now, Sumireko couldn’t afford to make Sanae dislike her. Suspicious circumstances aside, she was the only dorm mate Sumireko had who was not a senior. It would be awkward if they didn’t get along when they practically lived together. At least, just enough so that neither would disturb each other’s peace. If Sumireko could get close enough to her to the point of Sanae being willing to spill some secrets, that’d be even better. Right, as Renko said, the only friends that were worth it were friends that brought something useful for her.

“Usami-san?” Sanae turned towards Sumireko. She must’ve asked a question earlier, but Sumireko wasn’t paying attention at all. Whoops. That was already a bad start.

“Ah, ahaha, sorry about that. I um, wasn’t listening!” In her loudest, most energetic voice that almost resembled Marisa’s virulent upbeatness, Sumireko replied back. “I-I was a little occupied thinking of something else. Didn’t mean to do that, sorry.”

Inside, she groaned to herself. Her voice was way too out of character just now, and she even stuttered. That was in no way a natural-sounding reply. Sumireko slowly turned to meet Sanae’s gaze.

“You really space out pretty often, Usami-san… Well, that can’t be helped.” Sanae looked a little doubtful at first but accepted the response happily. “As I was saying…”

They continued their conversation all the way until school. It wasn’t terribly important or notable, but Sumireko felt it was surprisingly pleasant. Not as good as talking with Renko, but it wasn’t bad either. However, Sumireko couldn’t help feeling that the aimless conversation was just a distraction. Sanae sure had been distracted by many things throughout it herself. And that was without mentioning how she had been evasive earlier.

_You know, you’re one to talk, Sanae._

X-X-X

During class, Sumireko couldn’t help but feel that Sanae kept her eyes on her, as if she was watching her. Was this an order from that Kirijo girl after last night? Whatever it was, it felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t exactly continue writing her story in the middle of class to distract herself. That would be disrespectful to Merry and a little indecent. And while she did bring a few novels in her bag for her to read, the thought of Sanae watching her from behind continued to haunt her so that it became hard to concentrate. Once the bells for lunch break rang, Sumireko quickly scurried off from class. Both the cafeteria and the classroom would be dangerous, so Sumireko decided to just go wherever her feet would take her.

The school’s hallways were clean and bright, as expected of an elite school. Sumireko couldn’t spot a single speck of dust as she walked along. When she spotted the stairway leading upwards, she quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching her. Then she rushed to it and ran up the stairs, but only so fast as to not make loud footsteps.

She arrived at a small iron door. A little glance told her that someone broke the lock so it was certainly open. For such an elite school to have an unmaintained door lock like this, Sumireko guessed that someone must’ve been breaking its locks so often the school didn’t bother to replace it anymore. So when she pushed weakly against the door, she only half-expected someone to be there.

Once a small gap was made, Sumireko peered through it and saw a young woman leaning against the railing. A young woman with black flowing hair, and a pale but healthy complexion, not enough to look like a ghost. Her back faced Sumireko, her face couldn’t be seen. Yet, Sumireko could tell right away she was older. She emitted a certain intimidating aura that didn’t befit a high school student. Suddenly Sumireko felt she couldn’t take a step further.

The more Sumireko stared at her, the more scared she felt. None of the alleged supernatural sighting photographs from the sites she frequented measured up to how scary this person was by simply existing. Sumireko closed the door instead.

A minute passed in silence before Sumireko could gather herself. She began cursing.

“Damn it, why am I so scared?”

There was absolutely no way someone could be so intimidating, or so Sumireko thought. Whatever that was, she couldn't just let that girl disrupt her wish of relaxing on the rooftop, right? That was most likely just some senior, not a ghost or a monster.

Not to mention, the appearance… between the height and the hair, didn’t she look just like-

Feeling a rush within herself, Sumireko’s instincts took over, and she slammed the door open. However, beyond that door was nothing. No sign of the mysterious woman at all. Sumireko ran to the rooftop area before her, desperately looking if the mystery person was just hiding somewhere, but she couldn’t be sure that she even actually existed.

Maybe she really was an apparition.

Feeling the hairs on her nape standing in fear, Sumireko slowly backed away. Her heartbeat was messed up, and she couldn’t even think about the implications this might have to the supposed conspiracy in the dorm. All she could think of now was if the woman in red appeared right behind her and-

“Usami-san, there you are!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

At that moment, Sumireko was incredibly close to experiencing a heart attack. By the time that she realized that it was just Sanae, Sumireko gave her a very sour face as she turned around. Sanae’s excitement turned into an awkward smile.

“Um… did I miss anything, Usami-san?”

“Oh, it’s just you…” Sumireko had thought for a second that the black-haired girl from upstairs had somehow appeared behind her. But at this point, Sanae seemed like she was the one able to jump right behind her at any time. That alone was very scary to think about. Her thoughts began running wild about what sort of conspiracy this place had and how perhaps the mysterious woman and Sanae were both aliens of some sort that could teleport and kidnapped people-

This was getting a bit ridiculous.

“What do you want from me?” Sumireko’s tone was still sour when she asked.

“Um, well, I just said it but, class is about to start.” Sanae scratched her head in confusion. Maybe she really had no idea about what happened earlier. But assuming innocence too early could be dangerous. While Sumireko wasn’t in a position to really interrogate Sanae, she waited expectantly for Sanae to add more to her words. Sanae kept up her questioning look. “Are you alright, Usami-san…?”

“...Eh. Oh well, let’s go.” In the end, Sumireko relented first. Sanae wasn’t close to cracking at all, there was no point in playing the waiting game with her.

“And um, well.” Sanae stopped her again just before Sumireko walked away.

“...What is it?”

Sanae held out her hand. “What do you think if we became friends, Usami-san? We live in the same dorm, after all.”

It was a proposal out of the blue. With how sudden it was, Sumireko felt her face redden. “O-Oh?”

“Well, you haven’t talked with anyone else in class other than me and my friends, and… I just think if you’re alone, it’d be inconvenient to you. It’s alright with you, Usami-san?”

“E-err... Sure, I guess?”

Sumireko was at a loss on how to react. Sanae was a kind girl, that much was certain. Accepting her offer shouldn’t hurt her. As long as Sumireko didn’t expect too much out of it personally. As long as Sumireko kept some distance between herself and Sanae, and made this relationship go according to her terms. Of course. She couldn't just naively be smitten by this gesture. No matter how kind someone was, trust was not something easy to buy, after all. Sanae could also be planning to use this proposed friendship for her own gain. In which case, Sumireko had to make sure that she benefited more from it than Sanae.

“You’re smiling, Usami-san. I’m glad that you want to be my friend.” Sanae smiled warmly at Sumireko. It was bright, like the sun. If a smile like this was fake, Sumireko wondered how much effort one would need to pull it off as well as Sanae here.

“Hmph, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sumireko decided to feign ignorance. It took her only a moment later to realize that she ended up sounding more like one of those tsundere instead.

“I have somewhere I want to go after school. Well, you may not feel comfortable about it yet but, why not come with me?”

Sumireko paused. While they were now officially “friends”, whatever that meant for Sanae here, this was a big jump in intimacy. It was uncomfortable, not to mention suspicious. But this was also a chance to find out something. Possibly. She wasn’t entirely sure where the other girl was heading to, metaphorically speaking. It was only when the two of them reached class that Sumireko found it in herself to make an answer.

“...Alright, sure.”

X-X-X

Classes went by without much happening. P.E. happened as the final class of the day, and it was a lot more tiresome than Sumireko expected. Then again, the past few days had been really tiring for her, and Sumireko was never the most fit person around. She ended up having to feign sickness so that she could spend the rest of the hour resting in the infirmary. At the end of the school hour, Sanae appeared in the room while carrying both of their bags. Sumireko took the chance to stand up and leave, ignoring the looks from the school nurse. One look at Sanae made it clear that Sanae didn't buy Sumireko's excuse, but at least she didn't pay it much mind.

"Are we still-"

"Since you're not really sick, definitely."

Sumireko was supposed to meet up with Ekoda after school to finalize some administrative issues left about her transfer, but she decided to ignore it for now. He wasn’t even her homeroom teacher anyway. Sumireko hid this fact as she talked with Sanae.

“Where do you want to go to, anyway?” Sumireko asked.

“It's the Paulownia Mall, it’s a great place to hang out! But... I'm fine if you would rather watch movies instead.”

“Er, the mall, if you will.” The thought of going with someone to watch crappy formulaic foreign blockbusters was something Sumireko immediately rejected. Mainly since she feared she would end up actually enjoying it. The mall in comparison wouldn’t be as bad, as long as Sanae didn’t drag her into a karaoke booth. Reaching an agreement, Sanae pulled Sumireko’s hand and dragged her out of the school.

The mall was not far from Gekkoukan, and the two went there on foot. Though rather than doing anything interesting, they instead spent their time sitting near the fountain at the center of the mall. It confused Sumireko at first, but then Sanae attempted to start a conversation with her several times. She was more awkward and dull than Sumireko expected from a popular girl. How did she even get popular anyway? Maybe her looks? Sumireko did find her to be attractive. Even if only Merry could occupy that special place in her heart, Sumireko at least still had the ability to judge people’s appearances.

“Usami-san, what kind of music do you like?” Sanae must have noticed picked up quite fast that Sumireko was looking at the music store not far away.

“Hm? Oh, Classical, mostly.”

In response, Sumireko gave her a generic answer. In reality, Sumireko thought classical music was boring, but saying that she liked it sounded so refined and… _artsy_. She could imagine Renko and Merry drinking tea on an afternoon day with a rendition of such music playing from the nearby radio. Sumireko herself preferred chart-topper pop music, but there was no way she could reveal that. Admitting that she liked the same music as the sheep-like mainstream crowd would drag her down to their level.

“What about you?”

“Auh, I’d... rather not say. My interest perhaps would be too boring for you, Usami-san.” While she still seemed nice, Sanae was sounding a little too secretive for her own good. Getting any information beyond what Sanae was willing to reveal was proving to be a strenuous matter. An awkward silence followed as Sanae failed to restart the conversation. Feeling bored, Sumireko’s attention soon went to an arcade at the corner of the mall building, specifically the crane game in front of the store.

Sanae was quick to notice that too.

“Oh, does it tickle your fancy? I’m not good with crane machines, so I don’t play it often. But the Jack Frost doll you can obtain is very cute…” Sanae stared at the machine while Sumireko was weirded out by her attentiveness. Sumireko had never actually played crane games before, but it had been something she had an on-and-off desire to try. She was sure they wouldn’t be that hard. Perhaps if she got Sanae a doll, she would be in a good enough mood to talk?

“Fine, leave it to me. I'll get the doll for you. Crane games are just a matter of calmness and precision.”

“That’d be lovely!” Although Sanae seemed to be happy to hear that, Sumireko could hear the doubt seep into her voice seconds later. “In that case, I'll try looking around inside then until you're done. It’s fine if you don’t win anything, Usami-san.”

“Hmph, doubting me, are you?” Sanae's words of caution only fueled Sumireko's desire to win. It was now a matter of personal pride. How hard could this be anyway? While Sanae entered the building to look around, Sumireko inserted her first coin and held the control stick. If this went well, Sumireko thought of getting a doll or two for herself and Merry as well…

X-X-X

“Usami-san, it’s fine. Just let the others play. We can just try again later.”

Sanae’s words finally made Sumireko snap out of her crane-induced trance. She turned around to see a lot of people standing in line behind her. This included a kid right behind her, looking at Sumireko with begging eyes for the Jack Frost doll that she pointedly did not have. With a sheepish smile and a bit of shame, Sumireko withdrew herself from the machine as Sanae escorted her into the store.

“Hmph, the machine here is probably rigged, anyway,” she complained.

“Now now, that’s not what you should say when you fail, Usami-san.” Sanae patted Sumireko on the back to console her. Suffice to say, that had been a complete disaster. The hecticness of the arcade at least was a welcome distraction.

Inside, they saw a good number of game machines there, old and new alike. Fighting games, racing games, shoot ‘em ups, shooters in general, rhythm games, and quiz games, among many others.

“What kind of games do you like to play, Usami-san?” Sanae didn't seem like the type to be into games all that much, but she looked comfortable here.

“Role-playing games, I guess?” And point-and-click adventure games, as well as puzzles. Those weren’t really things to brag about though. “Anything except shooters, first-person or otherwise, they’re pretty lame.”

Sanae looked sad at what Sumireko said. It was surprising, Sumireko didn’t expect Sanae to be into those. Though, Sanae soon bounced back from her disappointment with a renewed spirit.

“That’s fine, there’s a lot of other games here we can play.”

“Alright, let’s look around a bit, then.” There were fewer people in the arcade that day than Sumireko had expected. It was a blessing. The lack of people made her able to appreciate the place, even if only a little. This was her first time coming into one. While the volume of the machines was definitely overwhelming, knowing that they were just machines rather than people potentially talking about her made it easier for Sumireko to get used to it. She almost got lost in this sea of audiovisual spectacle when she spotted Sanae waving to her in the distance.

“Usami-san! Look at this!” Sanae was standing next to a table with several contraptions stuck to it. The label on it said that it was a table for air hockey. “This looks pretty simple, so even you should be able to play this.”

“I don’t like the way you said that… but alright, sure. Let’s play.” Sumireko walked to the side opposing Sanae and inserted a coin. A loud, obnoxious tune played which signaled the beginning of their ‘match’. “So, how do I do this?”

“You just put the piece down on the table and then hit it. Try to score, Usami-san.”

Sumireko found what she assumed to be the hockey puck from below, and promptly did as Sanae told her. The piece she hit traveled forward smoothly, before Sanae hit it back violently, getting a score off Sumireko right off the bat. Sumireko glanced up and the girl was smiling calmly.

How annoying. Sumireko scowled and served another one.

“How often do you come to an arcade like this?” Sumireko turned the table by asking Sanae a question as she served. Sanae received the puck perfectly, however, and turned the game into a volley of exchanges. The pace of the game was steady, and the constant passing of the puck was still manageable enough for Sumireko so far. At the same time, Sanae seemed to be in perfect control of her own pace, not exerting herself to receive Sumireko’s shots.

“It’s my first time, actually. Back at my place, we don’t have arcades.” With her answer, a fast zigzag shot followed, overwhelming Sumireko. It scored a goal in a flash. Sanae cheered. “Ooh, another one!”

“You seem to pick up this game really well if this is your first time.” Despite Sumireko’s lack of knowledge of this game, she was sure that another newbie shouldn’t be this good at it. Sumireko shot the puck forward yet again, aiming to trip Sanae up to open up an opportunity for a direct straight shot.

“Ahaha, maybe I’m just a natural then…” Another smile, another point scored. How did that even happen? The moment Sumireko listened to Sanae’s reply, she had already fired a fast drift that went by unopposed.

“Yeah, whatever you say.” So far, the score was three-zero in Sanae’s favor. Sumireko couldn’t find an opportunity to score, thanks to Sanae’s tight defense. Subconsciously, Sumireko started to play more aggressively. She began to feel irritation at Sanae’s blatant lie, and at her own impotence. But her aggression only made Sanae score twice in quick succession right after, further incensing Sumireko.

“Okay, alright then.” Sumireko held the puck in her hands, ready to strike again. Just before she hit the serve, she quickly said, “So, two days ago at midnight I went outside and I saw you walking around with a gun… Hah!”

“Uwa!” Sanae, confused and shocked by what Sumireko just said, missed the shot and it entered the goal, finally pushing the score to five-one. Sumireko knew it. Sanae was trying to pretend like the mysterious phenomena at midnight didn’t exist, so Sumireko used that to her advantage. Even if the green-haired girl may have thought that was unfair, she wasn’t going to complain about it, was she? Sanae’s pouting face afterwards ticked Sumireko off though.

In an instant, Sanae took back the point. It was six-one and Sumireko had the serve again.

“...That was low, Usami-san.” Sumireko couldn’t believe Sanae was capable of feeling emotions like that. She was sounding genuinely irritated for once.

“If you’d just tell me what’s going on, you’ll feel better.” Not that she had any guarantee that’d be true. Upon seeing Sanae’s unrelenting figure though, Sumireko sighed and served weakly. Again, Sanae took advantage of the opening to Sumireko’s left side and immediately scored.

“...You’re too good. No, that’s not what I should comment on. Come on, don’t be stubborn and just tell me.”

“Usami-san.” Sanae’s words cut across her. “Can’t we just play instead?”

“Why can’t we do both? You’re the one that pushed me like this with all your secrets.” Sumireko declared confidently as she struck the puck. “Come on, you said we’re friends now, right?”

“I’m sorry, but you won’t get anything from me.” With her strong defenses, Sanae didn’t give Sumireko a single opening. “This isn’t a time to play detective, Usami-san.”

Sumireko served a few more rounds, but Sanae left her unanswered whenever she tried to make some light talk. Even ones unrelated to finding out the secret Sanae was hiding. Sumireko had managed to get Sanae to the point where she couldn’t deny she had something to hide, but now she was silent altogether. It wasn’t working.

By the time they were done, Sumireko still did not manage to score another point.

“I’m going home. I’ll go alone.” Sumireko was tired. That was natural. However, more than that, she was angry. Angry at her loss, but even more about Sanae’s secrecy. Sanae was dangling the answer right in front of her face, but she kept pulling it away before Sumireko could grasp it. If she was Renko, getting an answer here would be easy. But alas- she wasn’t.

“Alright. See you later.” Sanae finally spoke, sounding as irritated as Sumireko. Whether she was truly kind or not, Sumireko was glad that she had managed to dig this aspect from her. At least this outing enlightened her on what sort of person Sanae really was. Or at least, an aspect of her she didn’t show to others.

“For a second there, I thought you actually cared.” Sumireko shot over her shoulder before she stormed off.

X-X-X

The sun was setting. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but if Sumireko didn’t hurry it would be a little difficult to see. She arrived at the dorm alone, and there were not many people on the streets, except for a few zombie-looking people going around aimlessly. Probably just victims of an extended duration of wageslaving.

When Sumireko opened the door to the dorm, she saw two people were chatting with each other in the living room. One was the red-haired girl from last night, still as regal and dignified as how Sumireko remembered her. Meanwhile, the other was a frail, bespectacled man in a pale yellow suit. Upon seeing her, the two immediately reacted.

“Ah, we have been waiting for you. Usami Sumireko.” The bespectacled man stood up to greet her. His appearance was gentle and clearly made him out to be a non-action sort of person. Sumireko didn't reply to the greeting. They were quite suspicious, and they knew about her. A long silence followed, which was broken by the young woman, Mitsuru, who rose from her seat.

“Right. Pardon us. We should have introduced ourselves first.” Her dark red hair flowed quite beautifully as she spoke – it was quite a distracting sight that stole Sumireko's attention before the redhead continued. “My name is Kirijo Mitsuru. I was supposed to be here to welcome you two nights ago, but certain circumstances, unfortunately, delayed me.”

Sumireko gulped. She really was the heir to the Kirijo Group. Her status alone was enough to intimidate Sumireko, but she steeled her will. Sumireko had seen her last night. Mitsuru was definitely the person that held the answer to everything Sumireko had experienced here. Getting those answers from Mitsuru would clearly be harder than her attempts so far with Sanae, however.

“As for me.” The man followed suit in introducing himself while Sumireko was still silent. “I’m the chief director of Gekkoukan and an associate of Miss Kirijo here, Ikutsuki Shuji.”

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Sumireko felt a rush of blood flowing right to her head. She cut straight to the point, eager for an opportunity for the truth to surface. Detectives usually would go for a more subtle approach, but when she was already this close to the truth, she might as well be blatant about it. That surely would be an approach that Renko would approve.

“I thought to visit and see if our new dorm resident is doing alright. Miss Kirijo ended up joining me as well.”

_Right, because I still needed to awaken or something._ Sumireko had no idea what that would entail, yet. And she would rather not find out if it was on their terms. Sumireko did not say anything as Ikutsuki continued.

“Are you willing to spare a few minutes to chat, perhaps over a cup of tea?”

“Of course! Ah…that would be great, yes.”

_How convenient._ Sumireko nodded in response to Ikutsuki's offer and found herself a seat. Ikutsuki walked away, leaving Sumireko and Mitsuru on their own. Sitting not far away from the company heiress was tense even if Mitsuru did not do anything here. The air around her was suffocating - as if she exerted pressure just by existing. Or maybe it was just Sumireko’s general anxiety involving people in power. Ikutsuki returned not long afterward with a tea set. The tension evaporated, even if just by a little. He poured the tea into the cups and presented it to both Mitsuru and Sumireko. Sumireko was more of a coffee person herself, but she accepted the cup anyway.

“I heard that you lived in Iwatodai before.”

Once the three of them looked to be more comfortable with the arrangement, Ikutsuki opened the conversation proper. And of course, he started with an uncomfortable prompt. Sumireko tried her best to look unaffected.

“Yes… though I moved to Kyoto just before I turned seven, so I don't remember much.”

“Ah, that is true. We heard about what happened ten years ago...”

Sumireko was quite annoyed. If he knew already, then why did he have to ask at all? The traffic accident on the Moonlight Bridge connecting the artificial island of Tatsumi Port and Iwatodai proper had claimed more than thirty people in its death count. Among them were Sumireko’s parents. Even now, Sumireko still couldn’t bring herself to feel safe when she was inside of a personal car. Having the incident brought up so carelessly really didn’t win either of them her favor.

“We can't change the past, there's no point talking about it anymore.” Sumireko’s reply was fittingly sour. Ikutsuki looked at Mitsuru for a moment before nodding. The one to ask the next question was Mitsuru.

“How different is this city compared to Kyoto?”

“I like it, there aren’t as many tourists around. I think I'll enjoy my time here more than there, even if I'll miss the attractions.” There was no reason for her to lie here. However, there was no reason for Mitsuru to ask this question, either. Someone as rich as her should be aware how Kyoto was compared to Iwatodai. This entire conversation so far was all just pointless small talk. Frustrated with that realization, Sumireko jumped to the offensive immediately.

“Actually, there is something I've been wanting to ask. Ever since I arrived here, I felt that this place was quite strange.” However, Sumireko paused for a moment. Should she immediately mention the Midnight Hour here? Mitsuru already knew that Sumireko could stay awake out of her coffin on that hour. But what about Ikutsuki? What if this ended up being too frontal of an attack? Overwhelmed with doubts forming at the last second, Sumireko decided to ask the two about something related instead. “I arrived here at midnight, and I saw Kirisame-senpai and Sanae possessing what looked like firearms. What is up with that? I thought this was still Japan.”

“Ah.” Mitsuru was still as calm as ever when she answered. As if she had been programmed to, her answer to the question was clear. “Regarding that, we do have routine firearm training here. There are rumors of dangerous activity occurring in this area, and we simply are making sure to be able to protect ourselves.”

That answer was pure and utter nonsense. Such an excuse would still not allow some high school students to possess firearms here in Japan. Not even friends of the Kirijo Group were above the law… right? Or perhaps they were part of the yakuza? Mitsuru did look like a ringleader in some ways. This still didn’t explain anything about the Midnight Hour and their connection with it, however. The situation felt like it was getting dangerous, but Sumireko could feel something of giddy anticipation surging in between her frustrated feelings right now.

She and Renko really were the same when it was about this sort of thing.

“I didn’t hear any of that when I read the papers sent to me about this place, and looking online didn’t say anything about that regarding this neighborhood. Failure to mention such a dangerous thing would surely be grounds to get me to sue this place, no?” Sumireko had no idea how the Japanese court system even worked and she felt that the Kirijo Group would easily win the case anyway, but such a threat just made her own seriousness about the issue more official.

“We will welcome you to go ahead and try.” Mitsuru once again spoke. The cold confidence in her voice was intimidating. The pressure Sumireko felt from earlier returned, it was as if she was being locked in a freezing room and asked to keep her composure. Sumireko was struck into silence. How could she say anything against someone like this? Mitsuru was her own brand of scary.

“There are some documents that you still need to complete to make your stay in this dorm properly sorted out. We thought that this issue would be something that we could talk about during this afternoon tea session, but it seems that you are in no mood for it.” Mitsuru sipped from her cup elegantly. Perhaps she was just showing off at this point. But, Sumireko really couldn’t bring herself to talk further. Mitsuru really was scary. She was scary, just like the dark-haired person on the rooftop earlier was scary. But, while the latter was more like horror movie-like scary, Mitsuru was scary in the sense that just being near her felt like she was grinding Sumireko’s face to the ground with her jackboots.

Sumireko felt her sweat running under her shirt. Her expression of tension only elicited a sigh from Mitsuru, while Ikutsuki shook his head in wonder. Between the two, the one that decided to break the silence was Mitsuru herself.

“Some secrets are kept away from people’s prying eyes for their own sake, Usami. You are tired and irritated right now. You can continue your digging attempt at some other time instead.”

Both intimidated and emotionally exhausted, Sumireko could only nod in response before groggily leaving the two. Like a zombie, she climbed up the stairs, reaching her room just as the sun began to set outside.

X-X-X

As much as she wanted to, however, Sumireko found it difficult to sleep. Just one hour after she had crashed into her bed, she was already in front of her laptop, furiously typing. The chapter that she continued to type in front of her was supposed to be the warm reunion of Renko and Maribel in the Tokyo hospital where Maribel was kept, but it had since derailed into an incoherent rambling of frustration.

She had screwed herself. When she talked with Mitsuru earlier, Sumireko was too weak to really do anything. The moment she was pressed by Mitsuru, her bravado and drive crumbled into nothing. From back in middle school until now, nothing about that part of her had changed.

If only she were Renko, then she would have gotten the truth by now, even if it would require her to exert some force. Frustrating. So frustrating. Renko was both Sumireko herself and someone that Sumireko couldn’t ever reach in her brilliance. The brilliant star that the lone Sumireko always reached out for, but could never grasp.

Once again, everything she had planned crumbled just because of one simple fact. That Usami Sumireko was not Usami Renko.

It was something that Sumireko had come to terms with ever since she gave birth to Renko as an idea. The unreachable star worthy of Maribel’s love, that Sumireko could both pretend to be, and one that Sumireko could look up to, too. That was the concept of her very existence.

So why would Sumireko keep being frustrated with that fact?

The violent abuse of her laptop’s keys continued. As if she was possessed by a demon, Sumireko typed and typed. She cared not that her writing became incomprehensible or awful. She couldn’t get out her feelings otherwise. Sumireko wasn’t the kind of person who could scream it all out easily. Especially not when she was alone. In this sort of situation, Renko wouldn’t bother visiting her, anyway.

And with the press of the Enter key, the stream of consciousness being poured into the writing abruptly stopped. Sumireko leaned back in her chair, sweating and exhausted, but with a pleasurable expression. She had let out a lot into the page. A necessary release for all of her frustrations. She was still as irritated as she had been before she began to write, but at least she felt a little fulfilled now.

“Um… pardon me, but may I come in, Usami-san?”

Yet, rather than the voice of Renko congratulating or messing with Sumireko, another voice followed a knock on her door. Realizing that it was Sanae, Sumireko decided to ignore her. Rather than leaving, Sanae opened the door instead after a while. Sumireko cursed to herself for forgetting to lock it.

“I could hear you from downstairs, so I rushed up here. Is there anything wrong, Usami-san?” Sanae’s voice was concerned. A little guilty even. It was different from the voice she had back in the arcade. But it only added to Sumireko’s irritation.

“What kind of ‘friend’ invites themselves into their friend’s room without permission?” Sumireko didn’t bother to turn to face Sanae.

“A-ah, pardon me for that, Usami-san.” Sanae paused for a moment. “And… I’m sorry about earlier in the arcade, I know you’re anxious about everything, so…”

That apology ended up getting Sumireko’s attention, but not in a good way. All that Sumireko could hear were words drenched with lies, fabricated niceness meant to pacify her and make her ignorant.

“A-anyway, I was going to invite you downstairs. We’re having Chinese food, so-”

Sumireko turned around and locked her eyes on Sanae. “Shut up for once, will you?”

Sumireko felt sick of Sanae’s niceness. It came off as questionable even before, but this was Sumireko’s breaking point. Surely, she had come here just to laugh at Sumireko. At her miserable state of not being able to reach out to the truth behind this dorm. Sanae wanted to rub the salt in her wounded pride. The frustration she felt for the last three nights poured out from her all at once.

“All this secrecy about that strange midnight hour and you carrying a pistol around is driving me insane! How much fun do you and that Kirijo have, seeing me squirm around for an answer I won’t be able to get?”

Sanae did not say anything.

“You’re laughing at how pathetic I am right now, aren’t you? I know your type. I’ve dealt with many of them in middle school. Assholes who act nice but laugh at you behind your back. Two-faced bastards pretending they want to help while driving you further and further into the role of a laughingstock. That’s how you see me, right?”

Sumireko stood up. She was on the verge of crying out in anger. Her fists were shaking. She knew that even if she went further than this, Sanae still wouldn’t tell her anything, but Sumireko only wanted to lay her feelings out.

“This game of secrets almost got me _killed!_ Does that sound like fun to you?” Was she just projecting her frustrations onto Sanae at this point? Sumireko didn’t know and she didn’t care. Sanae was frozen where she stood as Sumireko continued on and on in anger.

“Just, what do you even want from me?” Sumireko wished to continue, yet all that she could do after that was to collapse in her seat, exhausted. She could hear someone sobbing, but she had no idea if it was her or Sanae.

“I… I don’t know at all. I don’t… _I don’t know!_

...I’m sorry.”

Sumireko’s gaze was locked upwards as Sanae left the room. She could hear someone crying, but her own tears had dried. Her throat felt dry. Perhaps she should get herself something to drink. But that was so far away, and she felt drained of everything by now.

Sumireko closed her eyes instead.

X-X-X


	5. Absolute One-Way Street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: mild "sex" scene involving a minor.

X-X-X

### Chapter 4: Absolute One-Way Street

X-X-X

_Thursday, 9th of April 2009  
Dormitory  
6.00 AM_

Sumireko closed her eyes as a biting sensation sunk deep into her nape. On top of her in the bathtub was Renko, a ravenous expression on her face. Hers was a perfect reflection of Sumireko’s own face, yet it was one that Sumireko felt to be far more beautiful.

As always, Renko took the lead.

How long had Sumireko been inside the bathroom? She lost track of time. Her moans were muffled, her body lay motionless. To not think for a while and enjoy the sensations overwhelming her, her imagination ran wild.

The hands caressing her, the lips that met with her own, the person whose breathing she felt on her skin, in the end, did not physically exist in this world. This person who gave Sumireko love only existed in Sumireko’s mind. But for someone like her, who lived in both the realm of the living and the dreaming, would such a distinction even matter? To Sumireko, the body pressed against her at this moment was as real as anything else she saw in the Midnight Hour.

“Renko, you’re too...ah!”

Renko was a convenient entity. For Sumireko, who couldn’t even dare to think of the object of her admiration in such a filthy situation, especially one that involved her own filthy self, Renko could fill that hole for her. Just as she served as a reliable idol-like figure for her, and how she served as the unreachable ideal Sumireko sought to grasp. Renko was someone Sumireko could surrender the entirety of her body and soul to when everything felt so tough and difficult.

Sumireko bit her lip. She could barely contain the beating of her heart. Her grip on the bathtub’s edges tightened for a moment before her strength left her after. Her breathing was ragged. Standing atop her was Renko’s bare form, looking at her with an expression of satisfaction.

That was how the scene went in her mind. At the boundary between dream and reality, the delusion of such an intimate scene took place as Sumireko soaked herself in the warm water. And as the reverie ended, the expression of bliss on her face disappeared, replaced by a downcast look. Everything that she tried to run away from by surrendering herself to Renko flooded back the moment the overpowering specter of Renko disappeared from her vision.

All her frustrations of last night. The hopelessness of her own investigation. The argument she had with Sanae. Without expecting anyone to answer her, Sumireko mumbled to herself.

“What separates the two of us, Renko? You’re so cool and great, while I…” Sumireko’s voice trailed off. Her gaze went to the ceiling. The warm water in the tub had begun to cool down, but she didn’t feel like leaving yet. She didn’t feel like doing anything today. “It’s natural, I guess. You are fictional, and I am real. I knew that ever since I gave birth to you. But at times like this, it gets frustrating how far away you are from me.” Sumireko could feel her body sinking deeper into the tub. She wanted to fall asleep here.

“You really are hopeless, aren’t you, Sumireko? Now you sound like someone longing for her lover.” A splash in the water. Sumireko’s gaze shifted forward. Renko was sitting there on the opposite side of the tub, giving her a playful smirk. Even knowing that it was her own mind that brought Renko to the scene, it still managed to surprise Sumireko.

“We are all people, and we have our own limitations. It’s just that you’re a little more limited than me. It’s just how things are. Because you are Usami Sumireko.”

Sumireko nodded hearing that. It was disheartening, but it made sense. She had acknowledged that truth for a while.

“Not everyone can be a brilliant star just like me, but that’s just life, don’t you think? Even with people as cool as me existing, others’ life will go on like normal. You can’t ever be someone like me. But it doesn’t matter. As I always say, don’t stress over such trivial things too much. As long as I am next to you, everything will be alright.”

How many times had Sumireko gotten Renko to repeat those words? And, every time, they were always a force of comfort for her. Everything would be alright. Sumireko would not have to deal with difficult things. Renko would be there to push her when she needed it, but she would also stop her from doing things that were too much for her to handle. Renko only pushed her to investigate when she felt like she could go somewhere with it, but right now she was just intent on stopping her from worrying too much about it.

It was comforting. But somehow, Sumireko wished for something more than just those words this time.

“I will figure out something. But for now, just don’t think too much about it and enjoy your day, Sumireko.”

_And then, what?_ Sumireko left that sentence unvoiced. Renko was right that she shouldn’t think too much about something that she couldn’t do. But, even then, what was next? What would they do after they figured out the secret about this place? Tell the police about it? The image of Mitsuru daring her to bring her to court passed her mind. Sumireko sighed. There was no way the police would be able to touch Mitsuru, and it wasn’t like proving anything would be easy, either. In the meantime, Renko was looking around half-amused, with barely any care in her expression. Did she know that everything would be alright? Or was she too, like Sumireko herself, running away from what the future might hold for the two of them?

For someone who couldn’t even dare herself to dream, the future would always be a scary thing. Just pushing herself to be able to live through the present day was enough of a struggle already. How could someone like her have the foresight to predict what would happen after reaching the truth of this conspiracy? Only Renko had the privilege to do so. She was the only one able to look forward. Whatever her future would be, Sumireko had long since accepted that Renko was the one to hold the keys for it.

Her gaze went back to Renko. She was busy playing with soap foam, throwing it around the bathroom as if she was still a young child. Renko soon noticed however, and leaned closer to Sumireko.

“Is your faith in my abilities weakening, Sumireko? Oh well. Maybe that part can’t be helped.”

Sumireko felt Renko’s arm push her to the back of the tub. She did not resist.

“I’ll make you forget your worries instead.”

X-X-X

Sumireko left for school before Sanae or anyone else could interact with her. She didn’t feel like dealing with them for the time being. Moreover, she overheard Sanae yelling somewhere upstairs. Sumireko couldn’t really make out what she was yelling about, but she decided that it would be best if she didn’t go anywhere near whatever mess was happening there.

Class went by in relative peace. But as much as the peace was welcome, it only ended up making Sumireko’s mind linger on last night and her current predicament more and more. And throughout it all, she could feel that Sanae was stealing glances at her. As if she wanted to tell her something, but couldn’t bring herself to. Sumireko wasn’t sure what to feel, but she decided that feigning ignorance would be for the best.

She barely paid attention to her classes, and time passed before she knew it. As the ringing of the school bell became clear, she took her bag and left. As much as she hated to admit it, she too had been stealing glances at Sanae throughout the day. Wanting to see how she felt about last night. Wanting to justify her own feelings that she poured out last night. Wanting to see how much her words affected Sanae.

It was petty, but she wanted to rub all that onto Sanae's face. But looking at Sanae's expression made her back down from her intention. Ultimately, she just wanted to talk to Sanae again. Despite this whole friendship thing being a sham, she felt like she was actually disappointed that it had ended up like this. Even if it only really lasted for a day…

No, what was she thinking?

This was why Renko said all those things about friendship. It was a world of give and take. If she couldn’t gain anything from friendship other than heartbreak, then she should just move on. It was her own fault that she was manipulated by Sanae’s sweet words and was used by her, rather than using her.

Shaking her head, Sumireko decided that she would go on a little walk before returning to the dorm.

As she left the train, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her throughout the trip.

X-X-X

“Maybe it was just my imagination. All this stuff really is getting to me badly.”

Resting on a bench, Sumireko enjoyed her takoyaki as she attempted to take a breather. This strip mall was right next to the Iwatodai station, and compared to the hecticness of the Paulownia Mall, the openness of the place gave it a more calming feel. If she had more money with her at the time, she would’ve spent her time in a bookstore, looking for new novel releases.

Not even Renko was here at this time. The light chattering of people walking around the strip mall was as ignorable as the chirping of pigeons being fed by others near her. It was a tranquil feeling, where Sumireko had all of her mind for herself only.

Yet even then, all that she could think of was her worries. What would be next? What could someone like her, Usami Sumireko, do in a situation like this? She couldn’t just leave this situation alone forever. Should she ask to move into a new place? But that would leave her with an unanswered question that would forever haunt her. At the same time, having it answered would not even solve any of her issues.

And… she couldn’t just avoid Sanae forever. If their relationship were to end, then she wanted to make sure that she made it loud and clear. Loud and clear, so that she wouldn’t be used like this by others anymore. But this was easier thought than said. Sumireko had no idea what she should even do. Maybe she would just have to live with this awkwardness for the rest of her stay in Gekkoukan.

“The future really is too scary to think of…”

Sumireko got up. This situation only got worse and worse. Some window-shopping on the bookstore perhaps could help her mind get away from overthinking this. As she walked away from the bench however, she bumped into someone.

"A-ah, sorry! I wasn't paying attention..." Sumireko profusely apologized as soon as she realized that the other person’s hamburger fell to the ground. However, surprising her, the person just picked it up and continued eating it as if nothing happened.

“Don’t worry about it,” that person said. She was a reasonably tall young woman with long, dark hair that she tied into a ponytail. Her tone was flat and her eyes didn’t seem focused, but she had a certain cool air to her. She was wearing Gekkoukan’s uniform. Sumireko guessed that she was probably her upperclassman.

“You seem to be in a hurry.”

"N-no, I just wanted to get to the bookstore and I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going..."

"I was heading that way, myself." She looked at Sumireko closely for a moment before turning towards the direction of the bookstore. “Care to go together?”

“...Eh?” Sumireko looked at her again. She was seemingly serious about it. Something about her was a little scary, but Sumireko decided to just go with the flow for now. “Sure, I guess.”

“Delightful.” Still with her flat tone, the other girl led the way. Sumireko felt a bad omen about the girl, but the aura she had… Sumireko shook her head. She was just getting daydreamy for no reason. She had wanted to go to the bookstore in the first place to distract herself, she might as well follow. It was only on the way there that Sumireko noticed the other girl was holding a book. Did she just read while eating? There was a discontinuity in the image of the older girl and her actual actions that bugged Sumireko, but she left it unvoiced. The other girl noticed Sumireko's glances.

“Do you read much?”

“A little bit, here and there.” Sumireko wasn’t sure whether being honest to a stranger would be good, so she went with a generic answer. “What book is that?”

Rather than answering, the other girl opted to showcase the cover to Sumireko instead, allowing Sumireko to just read the title herself. A train passing through what looked like the trail of the Milky Way was depicted on its cover.

“Night of the Milky Way Railway…” Sumireko mumbled its title, which was written in English. It made her feel nostalgic, even if she was sure she hadn’t read it yet. She faintly recalled that it was supposed to be a Japanese novel, however. Oddly, despite that, this girl was reading an English translation of it. She didn’t look like a foreigner... Weird. “I haven’t read that, I think.”

“It’s not a bad book.” The other girl said as they entered the bookstore. Sumireko glanced at the book’s condition. Despite not being an old print, it looked worn down. Either this girl was that sloppy with taking care of the book, or she had read it a lot. Or perhaps it was both.

“What is it about?”

The other girl paused for a moment.

“I suppose… it’s a book about the pursuit of happiness, and sacrifices.” The other girl didn’t bother with actually telling Sumireko the synopsis of the book. Sumireko frowned. This was like the girl told her to look it up herself while trying to look cool in the meantime.

“Ah… doesn’t seem like the kind of book for me.”

Sumireko decided to head straight to the light novel section of the store. The dark-haired girl really was something. How could someone so handsome be so weird? She had an air of coolness with her, but Sumireko felt that she acted more like a cryptid. She was a welcome distraction however, and just thinking about this girl helped Sumireko to look at the selection there in peace.

“Zaregoto… hm, people online kept recommending it to me but I’m not an Isin fan…”

And so her mumbling went, examining the selections there one by one. Sumireko was the kind of person that found it hard to try out new books as of late. That was especially true in regard to the mystery genre, she knew that she wouldn’t find much of what she liked in the section. Her taste was a bit too old school in regards to it. Not to mention, the one series she was looking forward to wouldn’t release another book until next month-

“You’re not buying anything?”

“AH!”

The dark-haired girl’s tap on her shoulder surprised Sumireko. Sumireko turned around to see her with a sour expression. When did she even move there? It was as if she was some sort of ghost or something. She was holding several books with her as she spoke, and Sumireko glanced at them to examine this girl’s tastes. A lot of them were trashy romantic comedies and… harem mangas? Sumireko was dumbfounded.

“If you want to buy anything, I can cover it for you.”

“That sure doesn’t sound suspicious at all,” Sumireko replied, still sounding sour. But ultimately, she relented. Free books were too tempting for her. She decided to pick a light novel that somewhat caught her interest, something about a psychic detective, and gave it to the dark-haired girl. The two stood awkwardly next to each other as the cashier went through the books. So far the dark-haired girl had been nice, but she was acting a bit too friendly to Sumireko’s liking. It was suspicious. But to say that something about her didn’t intrigue Sumireko would be a lie. Something about her reminded her of someone, somehow.

She reminded her of Renko. Renko, but also a cryptid. Yes, indeed that was the perfect descriptor of this mysterious dark-haired girl.

“So you chose to only buy one. What sort of books do you like?” As the two walked outside of the store with their books, the girl asked Sumireko that question.

“I, well, I like Mystery as far as genres go,” Sumireko answered with the first thing that came to her mind. There was no reason to lie here.

“There are a lot of light novels with that genre on those shelves though. Have you already read those?”

“Why are you analyzing my tastes?” Sumireko was somewhat annoyed. However, the other girl looked genuinely intrigued, and after sighing, Sumireko relented. “It’s because what I like is strictly old school-styled detective fiction. Works from greats like Christie and Queen, methodical mysteries where there are clear fair play rules that reign over the book’s structures.”

Sumireko wondered if the other girl would find her answer to be strange. After all, both knew that she wouldn’t find any translated foreign books in that section. Ultimately, Sumireko was there for a completely different reason. But Sumireko found the talk right now to be surprisingly nice, so she ended up elaborating instead.

“I’m not too into many of these recent mystery books because of that. They’re more interested in examining the nature of the rules and playing with its limits rather than constructing a puzzle to be solved. That’s just something that I don’t find to be fun.” But to some degree, that was a lie. Sumireko did have an interest in those newer sorts of mystery novels. However, the way they played with everything regarding the genre’s conventions was a tad too daring for Sumireko to try them out. The rules and the presence of a detective as a focal point in the books she loved were comforting. Having those foundations being shaken was just too scary for her.

“Hm… I do suggest that you expand your horizons by a little.” The girl said. Sumireko chose not to answer. Ultimately, they ended up continuing their way mostly in silence. They left the station and went towards the dorm’s direction. It seemed that the other girl lived not too far away from the Kirijo dorm. Reaching there didn’t take long, and without Sumireko realizing it, they were already at the dorm’s front door.

“Uh...thank you for buying me this, I guess.” Sumireko still had no idea what to think about the events that had just transpired, but a book was always nice to get for free.

“Don’t mention it. I hope you have a nice day.” As polite as she was, the other girl’s face was as flat as ever. She gestured to say goodbye and turned around from the dorm before walking away. Sumireko kept her eyes on her, entertaining her feeling of curiosity about the mysterious girl as much as she could before she disappeared.

The memory of the girl she saw on the rooftop yesterday flashed before her eyes.

“Wait, aren’t you…?”

But before Sumireko could confirm anything, the mysterious girl had disappeared amidst a crowd of pedestrians.

X-X-X

“Is she really the one?” Sumireko mused.

It was dark outside. The moon was shining, and the city’s bustling nightlife gradually shifted into silence. Sumireko stared at the screen before her. She had been trying to write the continuation of her story here, but nothing really came to her mind. The mysterious girl earlier kept acting as a distraction, pushing away thoughts of Renko and Merry in its stead. There were myriads of questions plaguing her now, yet there didn’t seem like any way to answer them.

She had gone around the dorm a few times today, trying to find out whether the dark-haired girl really was the fourth member of the dorm. The earlier encounter was Sumireko’s third time meeting her, and as people say, the third time's a charm. But all she had found were just locked rooms after locked rooms. There was nothing that really indicated that girl lived along with her.

Perhaps she really was an apparition. No wonder she was really weird.

And so, Sumireko continued to stare at her screen. Only a few sentences had been typed on the white page before her, and the number didn’t seem like it would increase anytime soon. Sumireko thought of falling asleep for now, but she couldn't bring herself to. Her mind was still too active to even consider it. And so, even as the Midnight Hour hit, she still kept staring at her screen even as the world around her was dyed in a sickly green hue.

“My my. You are such an unsightly sight indeed. Isn’t that right, Usami Sumireko?”

Yet, unlike the other nights, Sumireko was greeted with a strange voice almost immediately after the Midnight Hour hit. The soft-spoken voice of a young girl, speaking from inside of her room. Sumireko turned around in her seat and saw the girl was staring at her from next to the door.

“Who-?”

“Why, good day to you.” The girl was clad in a long purple antique dress. Her hair was blonde and reached down past her waist. In the faint light of the dark hour, Sumireko could only see her as a moving, living porcelain doll. A porcelain doll that dared to intrude into her personal world.

“Last I checked, this is my room. Who are you?”

“Answering that would be...difficult, for I would like to know myself.” The girl let out a giggle as if she had made a particularly witty joke. It didn't improve Sumireko's mood. “I can say this though, I am quite real. You may address me as... Yakumo Yukari.”

“...I know you.” Now that her mind was clearer, Sumireko began to notice that it was the same girl like the one she saw the night she arrived at Tatsumi Port, just moments before the Midnight Hour began. The vintage purple dress, the white mob cap, and the red ribbons in her long, blonde hair were unmistakably hers.

Familiar or not though, this ‘Yukari’ had managed to annoy her the moment she started talking. Normally, Sumireko would've dragged the little girl out of her room personally. But she decided to wait, for now, wanting to see what was the deal with her before doing so. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing much.” Yukari’s tone was very dismissive and calm, as if talking to herself. “Although certainly, I would very much desire to see you waste your life away indulging in your delusions, shutting away people who care for you. Perhaps one day after years of isolation, I will see you come to an unfortunate realization, ‘Oh! I should’ve made friends back then! Why did I waste my time writing? O lord, let time stop so I shall think no more!’”

All that Sumireko gave her for those words were sharp gazes. To her, Yukari was speaking utter nonsense. If she meant to rile Sumireko, then she had indeed succeeded with flying colors. Upon realizing that Sumireko wasn’t replying however, the little girl coughed. ”...Well, with that said, if I had to give a reason for waking you up, it would be to notify you about the fulfillment of a contract you have signed before.”

A contract? Sumireko shuddered – She couldn't remember signing any suspicious contracts before. She wondered if this was some kind of elaborate prank. Nothing about what this Yukari said made any sense. On top of that was the girl’s unprovoked animosity. Sumireko's silence ended up being the sign for Yukari to continue.

“You remember nothing? As expected of Usami Sumireko.” The girl hopped off from the desk before circling around Sumireko's room, waiting for a reaction. “Although, I believe you will in due time.”

As much as her tone and attitude irritated Sumireko, she still used this moment to carefully observe Yukari. Something about her appearance felt familiar to Sumireko even outside of how she had seen her back on her first day in this city. It reminded her of the well-dressed little girls from the foreign soap operas her aunt had on cable. That must be it. Since she was annoying, appeared so suddenly, and knew way more than she should, Sumireko concluded that Yukari was yet another gho-

“Hm?”

Deep in her thoughts, Sumireko didn’t notice how Yukari had suddenly closed in on her.

"Boo." She said playfully, which shocked Sumireko and made the chair lose balance. She fell to the ground, losing her glasses and bumping her head against the wall. Seeing that, Yukari pulled away and giggled as Sumireko fumbled around on the ground.

“Ahah...oh how silly of me, almost forgetting something important. I was also here to remind you that tonight will be a full moon. Surely someone like you would understand the significance of that.”

“Stop being so cryptic!” Sumireko yelled, her glasses worn unevenly. “What is wrong with you? You wake me up to diss me and say a bunch of random nonsense. There’s no way you’re real. This has to be a dream, but even then you’re the most annoying character I’ve met so far.”

“If this is just a dream, that is.” Yukari only responded with another childish giggle before her form disappeared into the night. “You may believe what you wish… Sumireko.”

As the girl’s form disappeared, Sumireko was left unsure how to process what had just happened. Maybe she did fall asleep on her desk after all. In that case, the best thing for her to do would be-

“Usami Sumireko, please wake up!”

_...eh?_

“Usami-san, this is an emergency! Please open the door!”

A loud knock and Sanae’s voice brought Sumireko out of her daze. She was still in her chair. What had happened earlier was clearly not a dream. But… why was Sanae panicking? Pushing aside all her feelings between her and Sanae, Sumireko rushed to the door and unlocked it. In front of her was indeed Sanae, looking unkempt and barely awake, but with a look of dread on her face.

“Usami-san! I'm glad you’re already up! Follow me, quick!”

“You’re…”

Her hands went for Sumireko’s, but Sumireko slapped them away immediately. This was her chance to finally get some answers straight from the girl herself. She noticed Sanae’s visibly pained expression when she slapped her away, but chose to ignore it. “What’s going on? I won't budge until you explain everything. For real. No more secrets.”

“Th-that can wait until-”

“No, it can’t! I have a right to know! Right now!” Sumireko grabbed Sanae by her shoulders and shook her. The confusion that befell her the past few days, as well as the agitating encounter earlier, was reaching its limit. “Who are you? Why are you up at this time? What is going on-”

The building shook at that moment and loud tremors were heard. Downstairs, a mass of incomprehensible shrieking resounded. It was unlike anything Sumireko had ever heard before, and she felt the sheer malice emanating from wherever it came from. It felt just like the blob that attacked her three nights ago. That sound silenced Sumireko.

“...Please, trust me just this once.” Sanae held out her hand again.

“How can I-” Through her own fingers, gripped tightly on the other girl’s shoulders, Sumireko felt the girl’s fear and trembling. She then finally glanced downwards. Sanae had the pistol strapped to her waist again and held a bow in one hand as well. A bow quiver hung from her back, filled with arrows. Those weren’t the standard wooden equipment found in archery practice ranges. They were real, made to kill.

“...Alright.” The gravity of the situation began to dawn on her. Sumireko let go of the girl’s shoulders and took her hand.

The two girls rushed out into the hallway. The dorm lights were out and Sumireko couldn’t see anything. The spiral set of stairs that led down to the darkness showed nothing of the floors below. Yet, Sumireko felt an otherworldly presence down there. Without even seeing it, Sumireko understood that she would be killed the moment she stepped down there. Sanae continued and dragged her upstairs, seemingly echoing what Sumireko felt.

“Kirisame-senpai is busy trying to hold it back!” Sanae informed her as they ran. _Hold it back?_ Sumireko thought. How was a normal human being supposed to hold it back? And what did Sanae mean by **it**? Briefly, her mind wandered to the memory of the butterfly maiden the other night. It was no good, the image was blurry in her mind. Her head was throbbing like it had hit something earlier, and Sumireko couldn’t focus on anything other than following Sanae.

The two burst onto the rooftop. Sumireko fell to the ground to catch her breath. As Sanae closed the door to the rooftop behind her, Sumireko decided that it was a good time to ask again.

“Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Please wait…” Sanae was still catching her breath. It was no good pushing her at this time. But as Sumireko watched her face, her fatigued expression suddenly warped into horror. “Watch out!”

She quickly threw herself and Sumireko’s body away from the steel door, just as a long shadowy limb speared through it from behind. From the corner of Sumireko’s eye, she saw it.

It was a massive wall of dark matter and black tentacle-like tendrils, hovering just above the roof fence. Her heart and mind stopped. It was beyond anything Sumireko had ever seen. No, she had seen a monster like it before, just three nights earlier. But it didn’t compare to this monstrosity in front of her. That it had managed to reach her would mean that Marisa was-

Off to the side, Sanae too was shaking. But she held her ground and drew her pistol. Her lips and her hands were trembling as she chanted to herself. “I can do it…

I can do it… I can…

I won’t let you harm her!”

Even at a time like this, she chose to stand between Sumireko and certain death. It would’ve been much easier to run away alone, but instead she tried to save Sumireko anyway. The hopeless Sumireko couldn’t help but doubt the thought of something as small as a handgun being able to harm the monstrosity, but then Sanae slowly and hesitantly brought the muzzle to her forehead.

“What are you doing?!”

“Per… so-”

Yet before Sanae could pull the trigger, the wall of darkness extended another one of its tendons and violently struck Sanae from the side, pushing her away from Sumireko. With a loud crack, Sanae’s body hit the handrails on the roof, which bent due to the force. Sumireko’s blood turned cold.

Did Sanae just try to kill herself?

Then another tendril extended towards Sumireko. Out of a feeling of desperation, she managed to dive to the side and dodge it. She knew that this wouldn’t last, however. She was staring at a monster far beyond her comprehension. There would be no maiden with butterfly wings that could save her and Sanae this time.

Sumireko’s knees weakened, and she fell to the ground.

By sheer luck, another tendril missed her head by inches, burying itself into the steel door. The sound of metal being crushed almost destroyed Sumireko’s hearing. It brought her back into reality. She saw Sanae’s gun not far away from her and took it for herself.

But… what could a gun do? Sumireko aimed it at the monstrosity, but she was shaking. Such a small firearm had no hope of damaging this thing. But there was nothing else that she could do. Sumireko closed her eyes, and hoped for a miracle.

But she couldn’t pull the trigger. An image of what Sanae was going to do earlier flashed before her. She had no idea how shooting herself in the head would help. Sumireko did not want to die. Dying here would mean the death of Sanae too.

Yet, as if the weapon itself guided her, the next thing she felt was the cold metallic barrel of the weapon touching her scalp. She had aimed the gun towards herself, ready to blow her brains out with one pull of the trigger.

“Why-”

**“Go on, try.”** She heard the half-familiar voice of Yakumo Yukari in her head cutting her own words off mid-sentence.

Sumireko gulped.

Her hands trembled.

A word appeared from the depths of her mind, like a chant for a spell. Why would she think of something like that now? Inexplicably however, that word made her smile.

Sumireko shouted the word as she pulled the trigger.

**“Persona!”**

A loud bang. A fleeting sensation of pain. Then, nothing.

A non-existent bullet blew through Sumireko’s head, shattering her skull. Or so it felt. How it was supposed to be. Sumireko felt that just like a chrysalis, something was supposed to come out of her, but nothing happened.

The creature before her shot several tendrils at her at once. Sumireko closed her eyes, realizing that she couldn’t do anything about it.

But then, nothing happened.

None of the monster’s tendrils tore through Sumireko. Sumireko opened up her eyes in surprise.

Right before her, several cracks in reality had formed, swallowing the tendrils aimed at her. The creature persistently fired more and more, but the number of cracks only increased in response. The image of a familiar blonde-haired little girl was visible for a split second in the midst of this nonsense.

Then the cracks grew and grew, and the reality of the scene before Sumireko shattered into millions of pieces. In its place was a pale-faced doll of an adult woman, sitting atop of nothingness. Its mask-like face was permanently locked in a state of smiling. The doll-like figure spared Sumireko only one glance before her attention went toward the monster.

Only then had the monster seemingly recovered from the surprise of the blonde doll’s appearance. As if it were enraged, it showered the doll with countless tendrils at once, from every direction. Yet, the doll didn’t budge an inch. With a simple swipe of her hand, all of her attacker’s tendrils were consumed by holes in the air, like tears in reality, ripping the appendages off once they forcefully closed up.

The monster shrieked. For a moment, Sumireko felt pity for it. But the doll didn’t stop there. An uncountable amount of cracks formed around the Shadow, and from them came blackened arms. Each of them grabbed into the mass of darkness, and no matter how the monster writhed, it was helpless against them.

In silence, Sumireko watched as the once-fearsome monster was methodically torn apart by those arms. Piece by piece, without being able to do anything. An unthinkable carnage, and it happened to the creature that had almost killed her moments earlier. Sumireko was too overwhelmed with the sight to even think of anything.

Only one thing could be uttered by her at this moment.

“What are you?”

“I am-” The doll’s voice reverberated through the area as if multiple voices were speaking at once. However, before it could finish, the porcelain-like body shattered into pieces. The tears in reality that it shattered had returned to normal, and in its place was a blonde little girl.

“Of course, I am your worst nightmare.”

And with that, the girl too disappeared into nothingness. What was left of the monster was a lump of darkness in a puddle of blood-like black liquid. Sumireko decided to not look any closer.

She didn’t know what to think. Should she be grateful? She had no idea. Only one thing was on her mind at the moment, and that was Sanae. She held onto the gun and rushed towards her side.

“Hang in there, please!” Sumireko called out to Sanae, but there was no answer. She looked at her chest. Sanae was still breathing. It was a relief, but it only managed to be small consolation as Sumireko realized the injuries Sanae had suffered, especially to her head. With great effort, Sumireko attempted to get Sanae on her back. With the monster vanquished by whatever that thing was earlier, then she at least would have the time to get Sanae to safety.

A shriek from behind her killed that dream prematurely. Sumireko turned around.

From the puddle where the remains of the monster were, a young girl rose up from the clump of shadows. Or at least, something that looked like one. It used its own shadow to form what looked like a dress, and on its short blonde hair, a blood-red ribbon could be seen. The roman numeral II imprinted itself within Sumireko as she gazed upon the reborn monstrosity.

Like a deer in the headlights, Sumireko didn’t manage to react in time as the monster fired its tendrils towards her and Sanae.

“Be at ease. The real star of the show is here now.”

And yet, time itself stopped.

A hand took the gun from Sumireko’s grip, and pressed its barrel onto Sumireko’s temple. She was powerless to do anything about it, but somehow, she was at ease. Even if the cold metal barrel threatened to blow her head into pieces, even if she was staring at the immobile tentacles threatening herself and Sanae, somehow, she was calm.

This was not the end for her. This was a new beginning.

“Persona!”

Butterflies flew out from the other side of her head as Sumireko pulled the trigger. Forming a cocoon, they congregated before her, standing between Sumireko and her attacker. It was then that time resumed its normal flow. And yet, rather than moving, the tendrils were instead frozen solid before they could reach Sumireko.

_“I am thou, and thou art I.”_

Like a beautiful butterfly, a figure emerged from the cocoon. A humanoid figure, but it only required a glance for Sumireko to realize its inhumanity. Its porcelain face was emotionless and unmistakably feminine. Its short, dark hair resembled metal, and a bowler hat adorned it to contrast its menacing appearance. Its body was a jumbled mess of steampunk-like aesthetic in the shape of a human rather than flesh, but a red tie still adorned its neck. A large harp was on its back, somehow seemingly an aberration within its design rather than a natural part of it.

It was, unmistakably, Usami Renko.

“Renko?”

The name Orpheus instead flashed within her mind. The famed muse of sacred mysteries. Sumireko refused to use that name, however.

“Are you here to protect us, Renko?”

Renko did not answer. She didn’t need to answer. With a swing of its harp, the frozen tendrils were smashed into pieces. Every second that passed with Renko standing there made Sumireko felt slightly more exhausted, but the sight of something resembling her esteemed idol was calming enough that she managed to stand despite that, lowering Sanae to the ground.

The Shadow fired more tendrils at her, followed by a barrage of balls made out of pure darkness. Sumireko and Renko moved at the same time, avoiding all of the tendrils at once. At this time, all of Sumireko’s control had been surrendered to Renko. Renko was the one to make the decision when to move and when to dodge. Renko was the only one that could save her and Sanae. Using its harp once more, the shadow balls were swatted away one by one. One of them managed to hit Renko, but it only caused some bleeding from Sumireko’s side.

The future was scary because it was uncertain. The moment that Sumireko stepped onto this rooftop, she was filled with fear because she was facing against something she had no idea about. Yet, the future also was inevitable.

The monster, increasingly frustrated, fired more and more of its attacks at Renko. It was obvious that its attack was growing weaker and weaker from earlier.

Renko was the only one protecting Sumireko from the future. The only one that could make difficult choices in Sumireko’s stead. The one to lead Sumireko’s life to whatever direction Renko desired. And when things were at their worst… Renko could help her to believe that the future would come and bring her another day instead.

With Renko, even the cruel flow of time could be delayed.

“Renko!”

By instinct, Sumireko fired the gun at herself once more. And in response, the world slowed itself into a crawl. There was no explanation on how was this possible. She had willed it to happen. No, Renko had willed it to happen. Through the relentless attacks, Renko waded, moving as freely as if she was swimming through the projectiles. And once she reached the monster, she pulled out her harp and bashed the monster with it as hard as she could.

Time resumed its normal flow.

Renko bashed the monster once more. And again. And again. And again and again and again. She failed to dodge some of the attacks that Renko had avoided, but even with her injuries, Sumireko stood her ground. Renko continued to bash the monster over and over again, and a manic smile formed on Sumireko’s expression. This was payback. The monster that had almost killed her and Sanae now was at her mercy. The thought of Sanae’s safety was not on her mind as she relished being able to assert her… Renko’s own superiority over this monster.

But, it didn’t last. Sumireko found itself hard to move any part of her body, and she collapsed to the ground. The sudden strike of exhaustion took her by surprise and she watched as the form of Renko disappeared into nothingness. The monster, in the meantime, was still moving. As badly damaged as it was, the monster was alive. Sumireko could see that it was expanding what looked like a field of darkness around itself. Shapes not unlike grass and flowers grew out of the shadows, but Sumireko was unsure what it was aiming to do. Some sort of terraforming? She struggled to bring up the gun to her head once more.

As tendrils rose from the shadow field, Sumireko wondered what she had done wrong here. She had entrusted everything to Renko, so why did she still fall?

“Well done. You can rest now.”

As if it were a dream, a young woman leapt forward from behind Sumireko. It was unmistakably the mysterious senior from earlier today. Her serene, almost emotionless expression made it certain. For just a second, her gaze, which focused on Sumireko, was seemingly a proud one. But when it shifted to the monster, the feeling changed. A cold determination, a desire to eliminate, from what little Sumireko could see of that gaze. “Hakurei Reimu, exterminating the Shadow.”

“Wait-”

“Persona!” She too had a gun with her and shot herself in the head without hesitation.

What came forth was the butterfly maiden from the very first night. And up close, Sumireko could see it in all of its beauty now. Its fragile-looking butterfly wings seemingly glimmering underneath the pale green light of the full moon. Renko looked like a junk doll compared to this - a beautiful, exotic creature who danced freely on the air.

Reimu and her Persona leapt into the air and flew upwards, masterfully avoiding all the attacks the monster fired at her in response to her arrival. The girl’s form danced in the moonlit sky and then descended straight for the shadow. A rain of what looked like sharp metal needles tore through the Shadow before Reimu herself capped it off with a kick to the monster’s head as her Persona disappeared.

And as if she was following a rhythm, she summoned her Persona again afterward with ease, avoiding the Shadow’s retaliation. Sumireko realized that the Shadow was getting weaker and weaker, and it was something that Reimu noticed too. Reimu threw several objects towards the Shadow. Sumireko, from her position on the ground, could only barely make out the sight of them being paper talismans. Ofuda?

“Hama!” The declaration of Reimu's attack caused the fired ofuda to form a magic circle around the shadow, causing white light to burst out from its insides. The beams of light emanating from within were thin and weak at first, but as the light bathed the Shadow, it became brighter and brighter, to the point that Sumireko had to avert her eyes from it.

Sumireko opened her eyes again as the light faded, and saw that the attack left no trace of the monster in its aftermath. Something so monstrous and overwhelming had been defeated in seconds by this Reimu. Against such a display of elegant power, Sumireko stared at her with awe, much like the first time the butterfly maiden had saved her on her first night in Iwatodai.

However, Sumireko's vision began to dim. Now that she was safe, the adrenaline rush wore off and the exhaustion caught up to her. She wanted to say so many things, there were many questions that she wanted to be answered, but her consciousness became dark before any of those could escape through her lips.

X-X-X


	6. Dream after a Dream

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### Chapter 4x: Dream after a Dream

X-X-X

With a groan, Usami Sumireko opened her eyes to find herself once again alone aboard a train. From beyond the window, she saw a familiar countryside vista set during a beautiful afternoon, with Mount Fuji visible in the distance, unmoving, even as the train continued forward.

Bits and fragments of faint memories resurfaced as Sumireko tried to figure out the reason why she was here. Was she going to Tokyo? That’s right, Maribel was held up in a hospital there… and Sumireko was on a train to go see her.

No, that wasn’t right.

“We meet again, Miss Usami.” Interrupting Sumireko’s train of thought was a blue-haired girl in a strange and conspicuous black-and-white outfit, sitting in the opposite seat. This girl immediately felt familiar, Sumireko knew she had met her somewhere before. Perhaps during a long journey aboard a train, a long time ago. Sumireko did not actually remember such an encounter, but the feeling of _deja vu_ would not subside.

Suddenly, Sumireko noticed her surroundings. She was inside a train- but it felt strange somehow. The seats were cushioned and colored blue. Her freshly awoken eyes glanced around the room and saw the interior was also a deep shade of blue, decorated with high-quality fabric. And it wasn’t very well-lit, the only source of light coming from the window. Sumireko wondered whether it had always been like this.

"Now then, I believe the time has come for me to formally welcome you, my dear passenger, to the Velvet Room."

As if prompted by the girl’s words, a loud rumbling sound reverberated through the train car. Except for the two themselves, everything around Sumireko and her conversation partner began to shake. To Sumireko, it was a scene so detached from reality that she felt like she was watching live footage of a disaster rather than experiencing it.

Curious, she opened the train window and looked outside, only to see that the train had long since left the rails, and instead was flying upwards. She saw the clouds quickly zip by the windows, as the hue of the sky turned darker and darker until it was pitch black. At the center of the sky was the full moon, brilliantly shining, and only its radiant glow filled the train car Sumireko stood in.

“Who are you? What kind of dream is this?”

“I find it curious that you conclude this to be a dream right away.” The blue-haired girl’s voice jumped up a pitch as she made a little smile, clearly interested. It was like she had found a new toy to play with. “Are you quite certain of that?”

“Is it not?” Sumireko asked annoyedly. “I don’t have time to deal with cryptic dreams.”

“My apologies then.” It surprised Sumireko that the being in front of her apologized so quickly and without any hint of sarcasm. Outside, the train car had pierced the outermost layer of the atmosphere. "I am here on behalf of an acquaintance of mine, as a guide to the future that awaits you. My name is Doremy Sweet. It's a pleasure to properly make your acquaintance, detective."

The bizarreness of everything confused Sumireko, who remained silent as her eyes were fixated on the otherworldly scenery outside. There were no other passengers in the train car, and the corridors leading towards the other cars were covered in complete darkness. The train continued on its way, passing through the moon, and the stars themselves, following a trail of brilliant white that looked like a flowing river made of light. Sumireko wondered if it was supposed to be the Milky Way.

Sumireko was unsure. About what this Doremy was talking about. About this guidance she was supposedly providing. All that Sumireko wanted was to return to her room and continue spending time with Maribel. She wondered for another moment, how she came to be here in the first place.

And then, she remembered the fight on the rooftop she just had.

“I… wait, does this mean that I’m dead?”

“Worry not, you and your friend are safe. Your tenacity helped to overcome that Shadow.” Doremy answered just as Sumireko began to panic. She had no idea whether she should trust her words, but something in Doremy’s gaze helped her to calm down. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It has been more than a decade, at least if my counting is not terribly off, since we last had guests here.”

Sumireko’s thoughts were brought back to the present. She tried to recall what Doremy said to her earlier. “...The Velvet Room?”

“Correct. You, who have signed a contract in the distant past, have earned the right to enter this place.”

Instantly, Sumireko recalled the words that Yakumo Yukari, the strange little… brat that appeared earlier had said. The term ‘contract’ appeared again here, under equally confusing and dubious circumstances. Sumireko thought to voice a question, but before she could do so, Doremy gestured for her to stay quiet. A piece of paper then magically manifested on top of the table before them, and Sumireko saw what was written on it.

_I, Usami Sumireko, take full responsibility for the consequences of my actions._

The handwriting was messier than her usual, but Sumireko recognized it as her own. She could not deny her own handwriting. She had no memory of writing such a thing, but deep inside she found herself acknowledging it entirely. She couldn’t explain why and it unnerved her.

“Henceforth, you shall be recognized as a visitor of the Velvet Room-”

“What is even happening here? That other girl, Yukari also talked about a contract. I don’t understand, is this a dream? Am I going insane?” Sumireko couldn’t hold her anxiety in, and she exploded into a handful of frantic questions. “Nothing here makes any sense! Why do you all keep talking about this contract?!”

“...You will understand in due time. Please, calm yourself down." Doremy was unfazed. "Unfortunate as it is, you have forgotten that you've signed this particular contract. It happened long ago in the distant past. I can assure you, however, that this is indeed your signature."

It was not enough to calm Sumireko down fully, but she was made to realize that panicking wouldn’t do her much good. She took a deep breath. Deep breaths calmed her down, usually.

Seeing that Sumireko had settled down, Doremy continued. “Let us move on to a slightly different topic. I see it is Orpheus who has heeded your call.”

The sudden name drop made Sumireko pull a blank for a moment. Then she recalled, atop the rooftop when Renko came to her aid. Orpheus, the muse of sacred mysteries. It was the name that flashed through her mind when she saw Renko at the time. But Sumireko had rejected that name. Renko was Renko, no matter what. “...How much do you know about what just happened?”

“Orpheus is an aspect of yourself. It is called a Persona, a manifestation of your psyche. Under such extreme conditions, you have summoned a stronger, more ideal form of yourself to deal with adversity. You are now unconscious after overexerting yourself, but do not worry. You will wake up in time.”

“That is not what I asked.” Sumireko cut through her words. She was sick of dream figures not telling her what she wanted to hear.

Doremy blinked for a moment. Then she smiled again. “Do forgive me. It is a bad habit of mine. Not making myself clear right away, that is. I shall elaborate then. I understand everything that has transpired on the roof. That is why I can say with confidence that you and your friend are alright.”

Sumireko was just a little glad to hear that. Now that she was fully awake and alert, the memories came back with startling clarity. She recalled Renko’s form.

"Because Orpheus is you, dear guest, it is only natural that is the form she decided on.” Her next question was also answered before she voiced it.

Sumireko sighed in relief. It was hard for her to make sense of it, but she was glad that Renko was the one who stood by her side to protect her. Doremy’s way of describing Renko’s existence bothered her a little, but she wasn’t going to let that get her down.

“And earlier, you said I will wake up in time. Doesn’t that confirm this is a dream?”

"... Well, yes, it appears you've caught me red-handed.”

In spite of the situation, Sumireko found herself slightly grinning at the other girl. “So this is a dream after all.”

“Perhaps.” Doremy smiled to herself.

Sumireko heard the sound of the train’s whistles in the distance. Once again her attention was taken by the sight outside of the train windows. The vague shape of a train station slowly became apparent in the distance, as well as a large statue of some sort of long-necked avian. A swan? Sumireko wondered. Even under such strange circumstances, Sumireko found herself thinking it looked a little silly. In front of her, Doremy mirrored her actions, but with a look of slight wistfulness.

“Ah, this is your stop. We still have much to discuss, so I expect I'll be seeing you again soon, detective.”

Before Sumireko had a chance to question Doremy further, she felt her vision slowly darken and vertigo accompanied her falling asleep.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will still post chapter 5 on late Sunday or early Monday.


	7. Secret Disclosers

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### Chapter 5: Secret Disclosers

X-X-X

_Friday, 17th of April, 2009  
Hospital  
9.15 AM_

When Sumireko awoke, she found herself in a hospital bed, dressed in a plain white gown. The room was equally nondescript, with white furniture and white walls and a spotlessly clean curtain blocking the windows. Likewise, Sumireko’s mind was blank. She didn’t wonder why she was there, why she was hospitalized. She only felt like she had awoken from a vague and confusing dream. Even when a doctor later came to explain what happened to her, Sumireko could barely grasp what he said. Something about collapsing from extreme fatigue as well as sustaining several injuries throughout her body, and that she had been unconscious for eight days. Her recovery was said to be nothing short of miraculous so far.

Sumireko felt like she was supposed to be worried, but all she could think of was a vague dream involving a trip on a train. Only after a while did the memories of that night return to her. The fight on the rooftop. The mysterious girl that saved her. Many of the details felt vague now as if it were a distant event. To Sumireko, it felt just like a dream.

Fortunately for her, a knock on the door interrupted that dull monotony. The door opened and Sumireko saw that a familiar girl was poking her head in. The next moment, she was tackled by Sanae. “Usami-san! I’m so glad you’re finally awake! You were unconscious for so long! Are you feeling well now?”

“Far from it…” The sudden closeness was also uncomfortable but only slightly, and she already felt uncomfortable in this hospital room. Sumireko pushed Sanae back, an act which didn’t seem to bother the other girl at all. In fact, it seemed that Sanae realized that she was acting on impulse, and backed off on her own too.

It was then that Sumireko noticed Sanae’s bandaged head. Her eyes were also sunken, reflecting her exhaustion. The thoughts of their conflict prior to the incident returned to Sumireko, and she averted her eyes. But at the same time, she felt a sense of elation awaken inside. Whether she would admit it to Sanae directly was another matter entirely, but Sumireko was glad that Sanae survived. That they both survived.

“At least, we're both still alive.” Sumireko could hear Sanae barely holding her tears in response to what she had said. She had no idea what to say here. Should she apologize for back then? As much as Sumireko wanted Sanae to apologize too, it had just dawned on her that maybe she too was at fault here.

But, why would that matter now? Both of them had survived that horrifying monster. That was what important. Just thinking about it made Sumireko want to laugh in impulse. It was so absurd, in hindsight. However, even the pain she felt that prevented her from expressing anything also proved that the night really had happened. Sumireko forced a smile at Sanae, who responded in kind.

Eventually, they began to talk.

“I don’t know much of what happened after I passed out, but it seems Kirisame-senpai broke her arm quite badly…”

“...That sounds painful.” Sumireko was glad that Marisa survived without a life-threatening injury but that detail made her wince. If someone like Marisa had ended up like that, then it really was a miracle that Sumireko and Sanae survived in a better condition than her. The image of Yukari, no, Renko violently bashing the shadowed creature to protect herself and Sanae passed through her mind. It was a satisfying mental image, but Sumireko couldn’t help but be curious about the monster itself.

“What was that thing, anyway?”

“That creature is a Shadow. To put it simply, they are monsters that lurk within the Dark Hour. But…this is the first time we’ve seen one that threatening..” Sanae let out a sigh. “It doesn’t sit right for me to avoid the topic again, but Kirijo-senpai will be the one to give you the briefing on everything later. I heard that the doctors said that you should be able to return to school tomorrow, so perhaps then?”

Something inside Sumireko wanted to push Sanae further for answers, but those words and Sanae’s current elation made her decide to wait. Shadows and monsters and Personas, none of them made any sense to her, but Sumireko didn't want to ruin the peaceful mood in the room right this moment.

"...And the stuff about Personas, I'll have to wait until then too, right?"

"I'm sorry about that, but yes.”

"In that case, hm..." Sumireko struggled to think of a question. It felt like a waste not to learn something now that the opportunity presented itself. It took her a while to figure out something to ask. Interacting with someone else like this was still a struggle for her. "Can you… well, tell me more about yourself? Your hometown, how long you’ve been in this mess, anything, really."

"I would rather not talk about my hometown, it’d just bore you.” Sanae didn’t take that as a faux-pas at least. “Hmm… I've only become a Persona user recently-ish myself. Kirisame-senpai found me when I accidentally summoned mine during a Dark Hour, and that's how things began."

Sumireko nodded. She had noticed the term 'Dark Hour' used twice now, and she supposed that was what everyone else called that strange time at midnight. It was a catchier name than what she called it herself.

Their conversation continued for the next half hour, filled with pleasantries and nothing-talk. It was not too pleasant, but at the same time, she felt like she was able to open up a bit more than usual. On the other hand, Sumireko couldn't gauge how much Sanae enjoyed the talk as she watched the other girl stand up and head for the door. It had been a terribly long time since Sumireko last sustained a so-called ‘casual conversation’ with a real person. It was a little much for her. But at the last moment, Sanae looked back at Sumireko as she stood by the door.

“I haven’t said it yet, but I’m sorry for hiding things from you. Those three days must have been very stressful for you.”

“...There were, yeah.” As much as she had been seeking that apology for a while by now, actually hearing it felt a little hollow, considering what happened.

“I had reasons why I couldn’t tell you right away, but it only ended up putting you in danger. We’ll tell you everything later, but I had resolved myself to come and apologize before that.” Sheepishly, Sanae scratched her head. “In the end, I couldn’t muster the courage to say so until right now though, haha...”

Sumireko turned her gaze to the ground. She wasn’t sure if she should forgive Sanae. The bad mood between them had been cleared, but her first three days at the dorm were highly stressful. That hadn’t changed. Sumireko felt a tinge of doubt but she couldn’t find it in herself to express it. Her gaze rose up to meet with Sanae’s again. “It’s fine, really.”

Sanae smiled in relief and nodded. “And... thank you for saving me.”

She bowed and then exited the room, leaving Sumireko alone. Sumireko’s gaze lingered on the doorway. For once, she felt content with herself. Even pride, perhaps. But still, a small hint of worry remained within her.

X-X-X

_Saturday, 18th of April, 2009  
Tatsumi Port Island  
7.30 AM_

The next day, Sumireko was discharged. The release process passed by in a flash and she found herself standing outside the hospital with a fresh set of clothes on before she knew it. The others were kind enough to have brought over some of her possessions while she was unconscious. A change of clothes, her school uniform, her music player, and laptop. Since the laptop had a password lock on, she wasn’t worried about someone rummaging through its contents.

It was still broad daylight, just before lunch, and if Sumireko hurried she could easily make it to class and only miss out on half a day. But she was not in the mood for school. Not with that promised meeting later today. “I won’t even be able to focus...”

“Then, skip it.”

To the side, Sumireko saw Renko was standing next to her, dressed in the same clothes as always, simple but stylish. Of course, no one was actually there. Sumireko began to wonder if this Renko and the mechanical doll Renko that called itself Orpheus were one and the same. But she couldn’t bring herself to pose the question. She wanted to hold on to the illusion that there was only one Renko, her closest and only friend...

“You just got into an accident, they won’t complain. You’re not wearing your uniform yet anyway, so it’s not like people will suspect anything.”

“Sanae might be waiting for me at school though...” Sumireko voiced her doubt, but inside she did feel like skipping as Renko suggested.

“You’ll be back at the dorm at the end of the day anyway. And do you really trust her right now? Even if she apologized, she still seems suspicious to me.” Renko sounded like she was concerned for Sumireko, which she did appreciate. She still felt a little hesitant about Sanae’s character and Renko verbalized that doubt perfectly. “At least, I don’t trust her myself. I can’t quite place a finger on why though...”

“No, if you say so then I’ll trust you.” Sumireko nodded. “In that case, where should we go?”

“How about we just walk around for now? I hear physical activity can help a lot when you need to clear your mind and sort out things.”

Seeing Renko gesturing to the wide-reaching area around them with her arms made Sumireko giggle. “We can just talk, is what you’re saying.”

“You have some things you wanted to talk to me about anyway, don’t you?” Renko raced ahead of her and turned on the corner of the street they were on. Sumireko ran to catch up with her. Within mere moments, Sumireko was already tired and panting, but she was fine with it.

“Well, I was hoping I could’ve talked to you yesterday, but I was too tired and could barely even move,” Sumireko said between her breaths.

“Lots of questions on your mind, huh. Are you anxious about this evening?”

Sumireko fell silent. Only her footsteps could be heard as the two kept walking down the street unhindered. There was barely anyone loitering around at this time of day, and the ones that were didn’t pay attention to the two of them. That suited Sumireko just fine. The two continued to walk, passing rows of buildings without much care to the world.

“How do I say this… I’m just not entirely sure I want to hear what Sanae and the others have to say. I’m a little scared about what I might learn.” After a while, Sumireko finally opened up and continued the conversation. And then, there was the thought of meeting with Reimu again. She was at the center of a lot of Sumireko’s questions.

“That’s not like you. A detective like us would pursue the truth, no matter how ugly it is. Would you rather not know and regret everything you’ve worked for it so far?” Renko asked teasingly. Sumireko raised her eyebrows at Renko as the two resumed their walk. “But I suppose, that's fair. Since you're Usami Sumireko, you’re still struggling to wrap your mind around this nonsense.”

“It’s not just that. The fight at the rooftop, that was really dangerous. I can’t imagine myself participating in anything like that again...” Sumireko’s voice trailed off. When Renko didn’t immediately reply, Sumireko sighed and walked on. When the two found a white line on the asphalt road, Sumireko began to align her footsteps with it, with her arms spread out to balance herself. Renko in the meantime was content with just following her, looking at Sumireko wobbling with amusement until she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Renko then walked over to her and offered a hand.

“That’s just bullshit, isn’t it?” she smiled.

“Eh?” Sumireko was so surprised at Renko that she jolted back, further losing her balance just as she had managed to get herself back up.

“You even admitted to yourself that you felt proud to be able to save Sanae. Listen to me, Sumireko. That’s a special experience barely anyone has ever dreamt of. You’re _special._” 

Renko laughed at the sight of Sumireko wobbling over, but Sumireko could only think of what she said once she regained her balance. Special. That word echoed inside of Sumireko’s mind as she started walking again. The distinct shape of Paulownia Mall was now visible on the distant horizon. Renko turned around with a mischievous smile.

Who really was special in this case, anyway? Renko said that it was Sumireko that was special, but wasn’t all that just Renko?

Renko was still smiling at her. She probably had read what was on her mind right now. That smile perhaps was her own way to encourage Sumireko for once. Sumireko pushed her doubts aside for now. Whatever the case was, if Renko allowed it, then Sumireko would indulge in this feeling a little bit more. Seeing Sumireko nodding to herself, Renko looked like she was having the time of her life. Her excitement was infectious.

“Slowing time! Defeating monsters that look like they came out of a video game! How’s that not exciting? It’s like you’re the protagonist of some cheap fantasy light novel!”

“You’re right, but…” Sumireko stopped in her tracks. As Renko put it that way, the extent of this situation's ridiculousness dawned once more on her mind. Even with all of her… Renko’s encouragement, she still felt reservation. “What if I lose an arm or two? What if I die from this? And isn’t all that cool stuff just your doing?”

“Listen, this once I’m letting you feel how it’s like to be someone like me, because the opportunity is there, right in front of you. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Do you really want to go back to being normal, everyday Usami Sumireko?”

Sumireko paused. She realized that Renko was right. There was no turning back for her after that night. Expecting her life to return to normal was inconceivable. And...she didn’t want that, either. For once, she felt like she might be doing something. That she really was someone set apart from the masses.

Usami Renko… no, Usami Sumireko might actually be someone special.

Repeating it over and over within her mind was comforting. That thought was nonsensical, but reality had long since given up its hold over this world to fantasy, so maybe it wasn’t wrong for Sumireko to indulge in that feeling of superiority. Renko allowed it, after all. Sumireko’s worries dissipated bit by bit as Renko continued to encourage her.

“This is the sort of dream you wanted, right?” Renko continued in her excited state for a few moments more before it came to a halt. She stopped herself and turned around towards Sumireko. "Though, you’re right to be a little concerned at least. We can’t fully trust Sanae and the rest of the dorm right now. This once, I'll let you indulge as I've said, but don't let your guard down even then. If anything goes south, don't hesitate to call me, alright?”

“I can work with that.” Sumireko let out a sigh. Those last words brought her back to reality. “Why does everything have to be so confusing…?”

“And that Reimu person…” Renko shook her head. “No, nevermind.”

Renko didn’t clarify what she meant with that as she disappeared. Sumireko couldn’t have Renko say something when she herself didn’t know the answer to it. Without anywhere else in mind for her to go, Sumireko continued walking, deciding that she could use this time to relax, accompanied by a nice cup of coffee or several.

X-X-X

When Sumireko arrived back to the dorm in the evening, Sanae was waiting for her at the lounge. She looked angry.

“You skipped school, Usami-san.” The disappointed tone coming from Sanae of all people made Sumireko feel guilty.

“Um, well, yes, I did…” Sumireko scrambled to find something to say but ended up with just a sheepish admission. Something about Sanae’s calm tone made her really scary, Sumireko thought. Sanae glared at Sumireko, as if ready to lecture her the moment Sumireko came up with an excuse.

“Well… I just didn’t feel like I could focus on school today. I’ll just go ask someone in class for notes for what I missed.” Sumireko made her defense.

“Do you even have anyone that you can ask for something that?” And as expected, Sanae dismantled her excuse within seconds. That was too much of a direct hit for Sumireko to respond to. Sanae could be quite cruel sometimes, for such a nice girl. Sumireko admitted defeat and made no further excuses.

After a while, Sanae softened. “Did you have fun at least?” There was still awkwardness in Sanae’s tone as she was trying to be friendly.

“Maybe… just a little?” Sumireko told her the truth. While the time she spent with Renko might count as something fun, everything else was less so. She had thought about continuing her writing, but her mind had blanked out due to anxiety from the upcoming meeting. She then distracted herself by going online to catch up on things she missed, but it ended up being overwhelming instead. Sumireko could barely relax during the hours leading to the evening, only staying out because she wanted to avoid being lectured for skipping school.

“Well… anyway. If you’re ready, follow me.” Sanae took Sumireko’s hand and led her to the fourth floor. Sumireko had only gotten a glance of this floor nine days ago when she was busy hunting for the mysterious girl’s room. Everything was locked back then, but this time, the largest door there was open. Passing through the imposing metal doors, Sumireko was greeted with a peculiar sight. Various complicated-looking devices were located throughout the room. It gave off the imagery of a futuristic command room. The rest of the room gave off an elegant air to it with the choices in its decoration, mostly being dark red with the sofas being the primary black.

And on those seats, several people had been waiting. Mitsuru’s intimidating presence was the first to be noticed by Sumireko. Marisa was sitting not far from her, the cast on her arm was a clear sign of her recent injury. And Ikutsuki sat closest to Mitsuru. Something about him made it feel like he had a knack for appearing inconspicuous. There was no sign of the mysterious girl here. Sanae let go of Sumireko’s hand and sat next to Marisa. Sumireko, feeling nervous, sat as far as she could from everyone else.

“It is good to see you again, Usami.” Once Sumireko sat, Mitsuru was the one that greeted her. “And I am glad to see that you have recovered well.”

Unsure of how to interact with her, Sumireko made an attempt at a polite smile. Off to the side, Marisa stifled a laugh that Mitsuru didn’t seem to notice.

“Now... Hakurei isn’t here but I believe we can go ahead, Chairman.”

“Indeed. Let’s get to the heart of the matter, then.” Ikutsuki coughed before continuing to speak. “Let's start with a preface. Would you believe me if I told you that there are more than twenty-four hours in a single day?”

“Chairman...” Mitsuru shot a glare at Ikutsuki, looking unamused at his question.

“Aha, of course. That should not even be a question to ask of you.” He paused, looking at Sumireko with interest. “The exact reason why you are here is because of your awareness of the phenomenon in the first place, and that you wish for answers. Would that be right?”

“...Yes.” Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to say anything else right now. Ikutsuki’s tone was friendly, but all that was offset by Mitsuru’s presence in the room.

“It is true, we have hidden a lot from you. As unpleasant as it is, both for you and for ourselves, we decided that it was for the best. But we’re not here to dwell on the past, no?”

Sumireko hands grasped the sofa’s soft leather as Ikutsuki said that. She didn’t say anything in response.

“So, as you have experienced yourself, there is a secret hour that can only be perceived by a select few that happens during each day’s midnight. This is what we call the Dark Hour, a time where time stops ticking, and a time when Shadows lurk.” Ikutsuki began his explanation. Sumireko only nodded in response, affirming what he said. All of it was something she had been aware of since she was still a child, and the part about Shadows would obviously be explained later.

“Now, let’s talk about the details. I hope I won’t bore you, because I will bore this information into your mind.”

Sumireko could hear Marisa audibly groan in response to that pun. But it was just a minor distraction. Sumireko listened closely as Ikutsuki shed light onto the mystery that had been plaguing her since ten years ago.

“The people that gathered here, me excluded, are a part of a secret group, the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES for short. They are headed by Miss Kirijo over there.” Ikutsuki didn’t spare much time for a break before he began his revelations. Sumireko listened closely and shook her head at that name. The group had quite a chuuni name. Sumireko could only wonder who came up with it among the people present. Ikutsuki didn’t notice Sumireko’s reactions and continued unimpeded. “They are people with the capability to enter the Dark Hour and to summon some sort of guardian entities that we call Persona, as a way to combat the Shadows lurking within that time, to protect the city.”

“Guardian entities?”

“I would assume that you have seen yours. That would be the entity with the harp that protected you against that Shadow. That entity was what we call a Persona, a manifestation of one’s psyche and unconscious side. They are born from the depth of your soul, and reflect who you are, both the good or bad, turning your character into strength.”

So, Renko was this... Persona thing that he talked about? Sumireko pondered Ikutsuki’s words for a few moments. The potential that Mitsuru and Sanae had mentioned back then, it must be Renko. Sumireko felt proud about it, but something uncomfortable still crept within her mind. She pushed the feeling of discomfort aside for the time being and continued to listen to Ikutsuki.

“Shadows are, in the meantime, mysterious beings that roam the world during the Dark Hour, attacking people that are awake during it indiscriminately. The risk they pose to Iwatodai’s citizens is too much of a concern to ignore.”

“Why do they exist only in Iwatodai? I’ve been awake in the Dark Hour for years, but I never saw any of them before.”

“We do have an answer to that, but it’s something best explained later in more detail.” Ikutsuki brushed off Sumireko’s question before continuing. “And these pistol-like devices are what we call Evokers. Invoking the imagery of the age-old spirit summoners, they become a trigger for one to pull out their Persona into real life.”

“Why do they look like guns, though?” Sumireko asked.

“It makes it easier to focus your mind when you’re feeling the pressure of having a gun pointed at your head.” Ikutsuki’s nonchalant answer was lighthearted in tone. “And it takes strong mental strength for someone to be able to pull the trigger. And according to Kirisame over there, it’s also quite ‘cool’. Even if the barrel of an actual gun would be smoking hot rather than cold.”

“...I see.” That last part, except for the actual last part, explained everything. If one day, Sumireko mistook a real gun for her Evoker, she would know who to blame. But, more than just the jokes, the way Ikutsuki had explained everything to her had helped Sumireko to loosen up, despite her remaining hang-ups. She was still unwilling to fully lower her guard, but even so, she had already begun to entertain the ideas Renko had instilled in her earlier. That she was special. Not just Usami Renko, but as Usami Sumireko. She really was someone that was set apart from the masses.

It was so tempting to just let herself embrace this idea, of being a part of this supposed team of monster hunters.

“And that should be all.” Ikutsuki was finished. He gave Sumireko some time to process the information he just gave her before moving on. “Do you have any further questions?”

“I guess… first of all, how did the Dark Hour begin?” Sumireko voiced her first question. From the chairman’s explanation, it didn’t seem like something that was around from time immemorial, but more like an unnatural phenomenon caused by something else.

“Hm… We don’t really know yet. The Dark Hour just came to be one day, somehow.”

“How do we get rid of it then?”

“That too, we’re still investigating.”

“And… why do I have the potential?” Sumireko hesitated before she asked this question.

“Hmm, how do I say it… In general, those with some trauma have a higher likelihood of manifesting a Persona. Beyond that, it is a mystery to us too.”

“...Ah. I see.” Sumireko did not ask anything else. That last one was an answer that made sense. Because Renko… Sumireko gave birth to her for that exact reason, didn’t she? That would be if the Renko she knew of was the same as the Renko from that night, of course. It did also bring a thought to her mind. What mental trauma had the other people here experienced? Sumireko looked at Marisa, who remained bright despite her injury. At Mitsuru, as imposing as an iceberg. And she looked at Sanae, keeping a neutral expression even if she seemed like she wanted to say something here. What sort of trauma they held, Sumireko couldn’t imagine.

Sumireko didn’t want to imagine that.

She pushed the unpleasant thought aside.

As Sumireko was still processing everything, Mitsuru placed a small briefcase on the table in front of Sumireko and opened it to reveal an Evoker, the same model as Sumireko had used during that battle. Its silvery surface reflected a certain weight that made it look dangerous.

“The past few days,” Mitsuru began to speak. “we have hidden the truth from you. It was not something I was proud of, but it was necessary. Because we wanted to make sure that you really are someone with the Potential to summon a Persona. It is why you were invited into this dorm in the first place.”

“Wait.” Something was off here. So, she was invited here because Mitsuru had known that she could experience the Dark Hour?

Thinking about it, how did she even get that information in the first place? Was this why her aunt was so insistent on getting her here? But Sumireko had never told her aunt about her experience within the Dark Hour. So how…?

“Why me?” All those thoughts only amounted to these two words as Sumireko scrambled to make sense of this revelation.

“We found the posts you made online some time back, and we have been observing them. From your descriptions, we knew that you were telling the truth. With the Kirijo Group’s resources, I managed to find you and where you live. Thus, I used some of my connections to talk about this with your aunt. It took her a while before she eventually agreed to send you here.”

Someone had read those posts. Sumireko paused. Someone actually read those posts of hers, and that led her to almost get killed by one of these Shadows. And all of these… all of these were things done behind her back. Her aunt, Mitsuru, did they really just see her as some sort of convenient asset?

Her hopes that had blossomed earlier wilted in a matter of seconds. This whole business was not about how Sumireko was someone special. She just got herself taken advantage of by everyone present here. And she wouldn't have been the wiser if she wasn't told by Renko to be suspicious of the whole deal in the first place.

“Kirijo-san…” Sanae glared at Mitsuru. She looked displeased with how Mitsuru was handling this. But… she was also one of them. She had been a part in this, and she had helped Mitsuru hide the truth. If she wanted to save herself out of an unfavorable arrangement, Sumireko needed to push away any illusion that Sanae’s glare earlier meant that she was on her side.

“There have been a lot of disagreements involved in getting you here, but I am truly glad to see that you have showcased your potential with flying colors. I am glad to make a case for you, and to invite you into Gekkoukan.” Mitsuru was oblivious about Sanae's glare, however, and continued to speak. Her words reeked of self-vindication. And in the meantime, Sumireko sank deeper into her sofa. What sort of nonsense was this? Sumireko couldn’t accept any of it, but she felt powerless before Mitsuru, who spoke as if she was talking to a wall rather than a person.

“Is this really necessary, Mitsuru?” Someone said that, but Sumireko had zoned out a bit too much to recognize who it was. Marisa?

"And do not worry. While you were in a coma, we have uninstalled the surveillance system in your room." Mitsuru continued, unimpeded. A surveillance system. Of course, that would make sense. They wanted to monitor her. They wanted to see whether she was the right person for them. Which meant… they saw it. Sumireko wanted to scream, but she felt so powerless. Talking back to someone like Mitsuru was something Sumireko could not do.

“No, that’s not right.”

Sumireko felt a hand that patted her shoulder from behind. The world around her began to slow down. She could tell right away whose hand it was.

“If you don’t like it, you have to object.”

Sumireko didn’t turn around, she understood just by the touch that it was Renko.

“You have to voice your objections. All those days have tormented you, so you have the right to be angry here.”

“I don’t know what to say, though… And Mitsuru is very...” But, Renko was right. Sumireko knew it deep within herself.

“It’s fine. Don’t think, and follow my words.” Then, Sumireko felt the hand lift itself away. She stood up from her seat. Usami Sumireko might not be able to talk back to Mitsuru.

But that shouldn't apply to Usami Renko.

“Stop talking nonsense.” Those words took shape within Sumireko. The words Renko wanted her to say. The words she wanted herself to say. “What right do you have to decide that all of this is done for my own good?”

“Usami, listen to me. This is-”

“You’re treating me like a lab animal for your own little experiment, and where does that lead to? You almost got me killed!” The emotions stored within her for the past two weeks had finally erupted. Sumireko locked eyes with Mitsuru. “My own good? Your game of secrets has been driving me insane this whole time!”

“...I understand that you are highly bothered, Usami.” Mitsuru retained her composure as she spoke. Despite Sumireko’s sharp gaze, she did not seem to be disturbed by even a bit. “However, I want you to understand how it is from our perspective. Ignorance is its own bliss. It was imperative for us to keep all this a secret from you until you awakened-”

“If you care so much about my well-being, why are you deciding all this behind my back, anyway? I’m sick of just dancing to your tune all the time. What am I, a circus animal?”

“Usami, you are being unreasonable.” Mitsuru’s tone remained constant. However, her eyes showed that she was feeling heated up from Sumireko’s anger. “We… no, I am doing this for your own sake. You put the blame on me for hiding the truth from you, but would you rather have me risk you potentially suffer from lifelong paranoia, had our assessment of your potential turned out to be false?”

“All this conspiracy gave me enough paranoia already. So much for that, huh?” Whether it was a necessary complaint or not, Sumireko had no intention of stopping just yet. She glanced at the others around the table at the time. Marisa was looking increasingly worried. Sanae looked like she was on the verge of panicking even if she tried to look calm, and Ikutsuki was hard to read, but he was the most serene of them all. Putting him aside, this outburst had riled them all. Sumireko took it as a sign to continue.

“I knew everything about this place was fishy. There’s just no way someone like me would even get noticed by a place as prestigious as Gekkoukan had it not for something as outrageous as this is.” Sumireko continued in a more hushed tone. She was already having difficulty speaking loudly. “It’s clear that all you care about whether I have a potential or not. Do you actually want to protect me from paranoia? That's nonsense. You should have known that I was attacked by a Shadow the night I came here. If it weren’t for Hakurei saving me, then I would be dead now. Is that what you mean by ‘doing things for my sake’?”

“...Hakurei?” That name managed to incite a reaction from Mitsuru. Something about it had pierced through her defenses. “You were… attacked?”

No, it was just not Mitsuru. Everyone else in the room was also surprised. This was certainly an unexpected development. Unsure about what to do, and exhausted from yelling so much, Sumireko retreated back to her seat. Silence enveloped the room as no one was sure how to continue after that.

“Ah, so that is how it is.” The one that finally broke the silence was Ikutsuki. The man seemed to be letting out a deep sigh before he continued speaking. “It seems like you ended up dragged into a certain squabble that we did not intend. And for that, as the chairman of SEES, I apologize on our behalf.”

“Squabble?” Sumireko looked at Ikutsuki, confused.

“The truth is, as enthusiastic as Kirijo was to invite you over for her own reasons, one of our members vehemently disagreed with her. It was, of course, Hakurei Reimu. She was the one who argued that inviting you over without even being sure about your Potential would only put you at unnecessary risk. Ultimately, this argument led us to go with our current approach as a messy compromise, although it still burned Hakurei enough for her to leave the dorm for a while after that.”

Ikutsuki’s explanation of what happened was clear, but Sumireko had difficulty in wrapping her mind around it. She didn’t know what to think about this revelation.

“Had we known that you were attacked by a Shadow and retained your memory of it, we wouldn’t have kept you in the dark. Although, we did end up deciding that we would tell you everything nine days ago anyway.” Ikutsuki paused. Nine days ago? Sumireko realized that it was exactly the day when the fateful rooftop battle happened.

“...Eh?”

“It… it was me.” Sanae raised her voice. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Sumireko. “I don’t agree with Mitsuru’s decision to hide things from you either, so I… tried to convince her.”

“Indeed, it was Kochiya that made us reverse the decision. The way she yelled at Mitsuru was truly memorable, a truly legendary argument -”

“Chairman!” Both Mitsuru and Sanae spoke in unison. Hearing that, Ikutsuki relented, deciding not to continue with his description of the event. Instead, he paused again. He made sure that Sumireko had time to digest his words before he continued. Sumireko’s gaze turned downwards. She felt a little bad now, mainly to Sanae. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to apologize to her as it is, however. The situation was too awkward for her to do so.

As Sumireko remained silent, Ikutsuki made the decision to continue. “Although, I have no idea why Hakurei didn’t tell us anything about this. Or why she didn’t tell us that the big Shadow on the rooftop was specifically aiming for the dorm until it was too late. Perhaps we should address this matter directly to her, eventually.”

“I see.” That was all that Sumireko could say on the matter. This was not a direction that she had expected her outburst to go to. While the catharsis just from being able to do so felt nice, all of that had already evaporated now, replaced with confusion and other mixed feelings. “I would imagine that it would be difficult, from the little I’ve seen of her.”

“Indeed. But we can only hope for the best, can’t we?” Ikutsuki replied, but his mind was clearly somewhere else at this time.

Being caught in the crossfire of someone else’s argument was the last thing she expected here. She was not sure how to process any of this. Something within her still wanted to be angry about it, but at this point, she didn’t even know who to direct it to. But, at least, hearing that Sanae had pleaded for her, even if it came after Sumireko yelled at her, felt genuinely nice.

“I… have to apologize for my callous approach so far, Usami.” And not long after, Mitsuru spoke up, apologizing. It really seemed like this revelation did a number on her composure, although she still attempted to maintain that poise from earlier. “I assure you, that the rest of your time here will not be plagued with any such headaches.”

Sumireko didn’t respond to Mitsuru’s apology. She didn’t know how to.

In the midst of this, Ikutsuki once again pushed the briefcase containing the Evoker to Sumireko. He had been maintaining a cool and relaxed face throughout this meeting, at a time where even Marisa was beginning to look tense. It was hard to get a read on him.

The briefcase was still open. The offer was still available.

With some hesitation, Sumireko reached out for it and held the pistol in her hand. It was heavy. Sumireko recalled the night of the rooftop fight clearly once she felt the cold touch of the handle. The coldness of the barrel, pressed against her temple.

“You are free to decline, but we would be more than willing to accept you as a member of our SEES. It would be for your own protection as well. You, as someone who has awakened to the Potential, cannot run away from the Dark Hour.”

“Well…” Sumireko gripped the pistol harder. Renko’s voice in her heart had already faded away. Sumireko could feel it, as if Renko had chosen to leave the decision entirely to her. It was going to be dangerous, Sumireko was aware. It would be exciting too, but…

There was still something she wanted to make sure of first.

“I can’t accept this right now. Please, I need some time to think this through.”

X-X-X

Sumireko left the command room behind with hurried steps. She had gotten the truth regarding a lot of things, yes, but she had no idea how to process any of it. Ikutsuki was right that SEES had practically put her into a checkmate, however. Whether she liked it or not, refusing SEES was not a real option. Those Shadows were as real as they could get. That she knew about their existence, that she wasn’t protected during the Dark Hour on top of it, meant that she was vulnerable unless she got herself that Evoker thing.

That would be the only way for Renko to be able to help her.

Right in front of her room, Sumireko stopped. What was she trying to accomplish again? Distracting herself from this mess by mingling with Merry? Sumireko shook her head. No, she couldn’t do that. She refused to do that. As important as Merry was, this was like a matter of life and death. For Merry’s sake, Sumireko had to leave her behind for now.

Sumireko backed away from the door and turned back to the stairs.

Her mind was too clouded for even Renko to help her now. It was quite late at night too, so she couldn’t go out of the dorm either, especially not without an Evoker. So, maybe she should just return to her room instead and sleep. However, Sumireko had already made her way somewhere else by that time her thoughts wandered to that conclusion. The door to the rooftop was already in front of her.

Sumireko hesitated. After what had happened that night, should she immediately return here? Renko’s intervention surely had averted a tragedy for anyone involved, and she didn’t feel any particularly strong feeling about standing here, but returning to this place so soon felt like it might be a mistake. But at the same time, a voice within her told her that she should go here. The only real answer to her dilemma was…

“Hakurei Reimu.”

With those words escaping her lips, Sumireko pushed the door open.

Beyond that door was no one. Sumireko was greeted with the vast emptiness that was the rooftop. The damage from the Shadow attack had been repaired, but there was no one there. Of course, Sumireko thought to herself. Just because she met Reimu on a rooftop back then, it wouldn’t mean that Reimu would be on another rooftop just when she needed her.

Those two weeks started and ended with that girl. The girl that saved her that fateful night, and the girl that had caused all the mess that came after. Whatever direction Sumireko would take from here on, that would all rest on Reimu. Sumireko reached for the newly-installed railings and sighed. Without all that, joining SEES would’ve been...

The sound of the door behind her closing took Sumireko out of her thoughts. She turned around in response. Right in front of the door was Hakurei Reimu, still wearing her Gekkoukan uniform. Her gaze was locked on Sumireko, but Sumireko had no idea what Reimu might be feeling right now. And how did she appear out of nowhere?

“You…” Sumireko wanted to call Reimu out. Even if she barely knew the girl, she was the one that caused all of her issues so far. Yet… at the same time, she was also the one that had saved her twice so far. She couldn’t bring herself to continue saying her name. Both worry and fear had struck her.

“In spite of my efforts, it seems that fate has ordained for this to happen.” Reimu’s steps were steady. As she came closer, Sumireko could see the blank expression on her face. The same, unchanging expression as the one she had showcased that day. It was unnerving. The glint of her Evoker was visible from the holster on her waist. “Whether I liked it or not, Kirijo was right this time.”

“What’s your problem with me?” Sumireko finally voiced her thoughts. Throughout her time in school, hostilities and exclusions in many forms had been commonplace for her. But, something about this time felt off. From what Ikutsuki said, Reimu had supposedly seen inviting her as a risk, but whether it was for SEES’ consideration or out of some concern for her, she had no idea. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to hear Reimu's reasoning here. Sumireko was sick of being dragged from one thing to another by someone else.

“I do not believe that SEES should put someone else at risk by asking them to join us. The fewer people that had to bear the burden of the Dark Hour, the more ideal it is.” Reimu continued to speak. She didn’t seem to be dismissive when she said that, but something about it rubbed Sumireko the wrong way. As cool as she was, someone acting like this sure was irritating. “But with you already awakening your Persona, the best course of action really is for you to join us.”

“And you’re deciding that for me, because?”

“Because… I can’t bear to see anyone getting hurt for what is supposed to be my responsibility.” Reimu had continued her approach and stood directly before Sumireko now.. Her expression was the same as always, but her tone had softened. Her whole appearance was still intimidating, yet Sumireko found herself able to stand upright and keep her eyes on Reimu.

“Neither Marisa nor Sanae should’ve been put at risk that night, and it was because of my incompetence that the big Shadow attacked the dorm. If it were not for you, everyone would have died.” Reimu continued. As difficult as it was for Reimu to meaningfully emote, something within her voice betrayed her sincerity. “I understand why Mitsuru wanted to add more people to our ranks. SEES is too weak to make any meaningful change to this situation. But at the same time, that would mean putting more people at risk.”

“So you choose to decide things in my stead,” Sumireko replied. As welcome as Reimu’s sentiment was, she couldn’t agree with it. All of it was scary and overwhelming, but she would rather know the truth from the start. Reality was something unchanging. Even if she had not been attacked on that day, eventually she would come across a Shadow, even if she didn’t have Renko to protect her.

Sumireko couldn’t accept that.

“Then, I will join SEES. Not because of Mitsuru, but because of my own desires.” Her words were steady this time. Was Renko helping her out? Perhaps she too had decided on what she wanted.

_I want to be special._

Unspoken as it was, that was what was on Sumireko’s mind at the time. More than anything, this was the only light she could find from this mess. She had no idea what her future held for her, and she was too afraid to find out, but if this was the path destined for her, then she was glad. Her life, her survival from that day, it ultimately had a meaning. Reimu was strong. She was strong, beautiful, and cool in a way that even rivaled Renko. She wanted to be like her too. Whether Reimu liked it or not, Sumireko had chosen this path.

“I appreciate your concern but I’m not the kind that can stand people messing with me behind my back.” With that, Sumireko finished her point. Reimu’s eyes, which widened as Sumireko declared her decision, focused themselves again on her.

“Then… if you say so, I should apologize.” Reimu didn’t bow at her or anything, but the tone in her voice was sincere. “I have overstepped my boundaries.”

“In that case-”

“But. As the last thing that I would like to say before you return to Mitsuru and state your decision…” Reimu’s voice suddenly became grim. “I want you to think. Becoming a part of SEES is the opposite of finding safety in this Shadow-infested city. Doing so is signing a contract, that you are willing to give your life for the sake of the club, if you have to.”

Sumireko went silent. Reimu took it as an opportunity to continue.

“Joining SEES means signing your death warrant. You are to dedicate your life to fight against these Shadows, and to potentially die against them. Are you sure that you are able to accept this?”

Sumireko’s resolve cracked.

She was so confident earlier, but hearing the words death made her falter. She couldn’t just accept something as severe as that. As scared as she was about her future, she was even more scared at the idea of it ending abruptly. She had avoided death many times so far, and the more she did so, she only grew even more afraid of it than before. Of course, Reimu’s words were not any sort of groundbreaking revelation. She was only reiterating facts that had been simmering on the surface of everything so far, into concise points that directly addressed the issue.

Would the risk be worth it?

Sumireko couldn’t really say. Even Renko wouldn’t know what to say here. But even in the worst possible situation, Renko would probably still protect her, right?

“I... understand.” Something weak came out of Sumireko. As much as she tried to hide her shaking in front of Reimu, she knew it would still be easy to read. Even then, for such a once-in-a-lifetime chance, perhaps the risk was worth it. Without Renko backing her, Sumireko reaffirmed herself.

“But even so, I... I think I do want to be part of SEES.”

“I see.” Reimu nodded. She took a few steps backward. Sumireko didn’t realize how close Reimu had been. It might be why her heart couldn’t stop beating loudly.

“In that case, I shall not stand in your way again.” The gap between her and Reimu suddenly widened significantly without Sumireko realizing that Reimu had moved that far. “Welcome to SEES, Usami Sumireko. I look forward to joining forces with you.”

“I… look forward to it too…” At that point, Sumireko couldn’t handle it anymore and broke her eye contact with Reimu. All of this was getting to be too much for her. She had made her decision. That was the important thing. She wasn’t sure about that decision, even now, but she already made it. Maybe she really had signed her own death warrant, but she had no idea of knowing right now. All that was important now was that she had chosen to be a part of SEES.

By the time she returned her gaze forward however, Reimu had disappeared. Sumireko shook her head. This really was too much. She took a few moments to calm herself before leaving the empty rooftop. She would pay a quick visit to the command room once more to declare her decision, then bury her head in sleep. That was all she kept repeating in her mind.

Yet, her attempts to push Reimu’s words out of her mind were futile.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being late. Had a bit of a funk the past few days. Next chapter will still be on next monday.


	8. Ambitious Explorer

X-X-X

### Chapter 6: Ambitious Explorer

X-X-X

_Sunday, 19th of April, 2009  
Tatsumi Port Island Station  
11.10 PM_

As Sumireko exited the station, she anxiously checked her watch. It was slightly past eleven, one hour before midnight. A glint of her Evoker was occasionally visible from her handbag. It was a source of anxiety to her as she feared that someone might be suspicious of her, and also a source of comfort. A reminder that she had set herself apart from the populace.

That she was one of SEES now.

Yesterday, everyone had warmly welcomed her when Sumireko returned with her decision. It was hard for her to admit, but it was a genuinely elating moment for her. Sumireko hadn’t heard anything from Renko since yesterday, but she was sure that she too would be alright with this. She spent the rest of the day in relative peace at least until Mitsuru asked her to gather with the rest of the group in front of the school near midnight. Sumireko’s first thought was that this would be a set up for a particularly cruel initiation rite. Although she doubted it - SEES was too serious for those sorts of mean jokes. Instead, she clutched her bag close to her as she passed through the streets in a hurry, almost bumping into some empty-looking office workers as a result.

“Usami-san!”

As the silhouette of the school made itself clear, Sumireko could hear Sanae calling her name. Sumireko waved her hand in response.

“I’m glad you actually came on your own! I thought you fell asleep, and Kirijo-senpai almost got Hakurei-senpai to pick you up.” Sanae approached her, looking worried.

Hearing what she said, Sumireko gulped. “Y-yeah… thankfully, my alarm worked, aha…” Sumireko didn’t look at Sanae as she answered, hiding her awkwardness. Sumireko had actually lost herself in her writing again instead of sleeping, and the thought of Reimu barging in on such a time was terrifying. Then again, everyone had already…

Sumireko’s face reddened.

“Let’s just go there, then! Everyone’s already waiting.” Sanae held Sumireko’s hand firmly as she led the way. The school gates were soon in sight, and there, Sumireko saw that Reimu, Marisa, and Mitsuru had made themselves comfortable standing nearby. To a normal person, they would only appear to be a harmless gathering of girls, albeit at a suspicious time. And one of them had an arm cast on.

When they spotted Sumireko and Sanae together, Marisa waved at them with her free arm. “Come on, Usami. You’re late! Next time I’ll surely drag you here on my own instead!”

Sumireko only nodded in response. She wasn’t good at keeping time. She sighed as she joined everyone else. “So… why are we here, anyway?” she asked. The shadowy outline of the school loomed overhead, making her feel uneasy.

“We will address that momentarily,” Mitsuru answered. “First of all, did you bring your Evoker with you?”

Sumireko dug it out from her bag. The weight and coldness of the metallic surface still unnerved her as she held it before Mitsuru. She nodded in acknowledgment, and Sumireko returned it to her bag.

“As you are aware, Shadows are beings that roam during the Dark Hour, an innumerable amount of them in fact. They are ferocious, but they are not as intelligent as we are. They behave like beasts. And just like beasts, the Shadows also have nests, to put it simply.”

“And this nest happens to be our school…?”

“You guessed it!” Marisa laughed. “Once midnight hits, you’ll see the school turn into something amazing. Like, super amazing. It’s easier to show you than explain, really.”

Marisa’s cheerful attitude annoyed Sumireko a little. This was supposed to be a grim and serious situation, where the exposition dumps would happen. Now it just felt like a school club activity. But at least, all this was actually part of SEES. “If possible, I’d rather just hear what it is now and save the surprise for later. It’ll take time, won’t it?”

“Ahaha… You have a good point. Yo, Reimu! Can you take over?” Marisa turned to the dark-haired girl who Sumireko hadn’t seen since yesterday night. But, rather than taking over, Reimu turned to Mitsuru with a clear expression of ‘this is a pain’ on her face. Mitsuru coughed and continued.

“...As I said, this place will become a Shadow’s nest. The only Shadow nest that we know of. Though, it’s more accurate to think of it as the place where Shadows come from.”

“So we’re going to destroy the school to kill all the Shadows?” Sumireko voiced the first thing that came to her mind.

Mitsuru ignored Marisa who seemed to be genuinely excited by Sumireko’s suggestion. “It is not quite possible to ‘kill all the Shadows’, and destroying the school will not achieve anything meaningful, either. The reason we are here is to invade their nest and explore it, so we can find out more information about these Shadows.”

“Information such as why our school specifically?”

“Yes.” Mitsuru nodded. “I’m glad you’re catching on well today.”

Finally, Reimu spoke. “Don’t think too much. The four of us will go down there and explore. With that said, for now, we will focus on getting you used to the feeling of fighting in the Dark Hour.” She didn’t seem to be too pleased about the number of people participating.

“So you’re really agreeing with me, Reimu. I knew I could count on you!” Marisa patted Reimu’s back. That prompted Mitsuru to look at Marisa in disapproval.

“Your arm is still broken, Kirisame. I hold my position that you shouldn’t join.”

“Come on, I’m fine already.” The blonde made a show of moving her arms around. It was somewhat convincing if not for the fact that her arm cast made Marisa’s flailing more akin to a penguin’s. Sumireko held this thought to herself. “It’s because we’re taking Sumi with us, we need to make sure there are enough people to back her up. With Reimu, me, and Sanae down there, we should be fine.”

“It has only been little more than a week since you were injured.”

“I need to get myself back in shape too, you know?” Marisa’s eyes pleaded to Mitsuru. She playfully begged Mitsuru with a child-like tone. “Pretty please, Mom. I’ll behave down there.”

“Kirisame, I told you to stop with that already.” Mitsuru was not amused.

“It pains me to say this, but I agree with Marisa.” Reimu intervened without even looking at Mitsuru- the two really didn’t seem to get along well. “Today’s operation should not be extensive enough to make her presence a burden. As long as she does not do anything reckless, she should be fine.” Reimu fired a sharp glare at Marisa after that last sentence.

As their debate continued, Sumireko was reminded of something. “Wait. Kirijo-senpai isn’t going?”

Mitsuru’s grimace the next moment told Sumireko that perhaps she should not have asked. She coughed and her expression returned to the composed one that Sumireko was familiar with. “...It is as you’ve guessed. I cannot summon a Persona. The one leading you will be Hakurei. In the meantime, I will be providing outside support. It is the least that I can do since you are the ones facing the danger.”

Something about the way Mitsuru said it made Sumireko feel unpleasant, but it wasn’t Mitsuru’s fault. Eventually, she finally caved in to Marisa’s pleading and allowed her to join. It was half-past eleven at that time. The five girls waited as time continued to tick down. Sumireko wanted to break the silence, but the rest seemed to be too focused on watching the clock. It made her anxious. Even Sanae and Marisa remained silent.

“It’s almost time.” It was then that Reimu spoke. Sumireko brought up her watch. It was seconds away from midnight.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

As her watch hit 00:00, everything froze. Sumireko saw the air darken, the same nauseous dark green color she was used to. The Dark Hour fell. Immediately, the ground below them trembled. Right before her, the sight of the entirety of Gekkoukan collapsed into the ground as the sickly green hue of the Dark Hour painted the scenery.

“Every night, our school sinks into the ground. Even though it physically shouldn’t be possible and none of this makes any sense. For an hour every day, a chasm forms here.” Sumireko heard Reimu explain, but she was too mesmerized by the sight before her to grasp her words.

It had happened suddenly. The entirety of the school disappeared from view so unceremoniously as if it was merely an illusion. No, that would be inaccurate. It was more as if the entirety of the school complex had disappeared down a sinkhole.

The scale of the hole that replaced the school was absurd - no matter how Sumireko looked at it, it was far wider than the area the campus occupied. Structures of the school building were visible from the surface, forming a downward spiral that seemingly went on and on towards the darkness below. Sumireko shifted her eyes away, overwhelmed by the sight, but then she looked at it again and the physical layout of the helix had already changed by the second. Sumireko gulped.

“What you see now is the great hole holding one of the few remaining mysteries in the world,” Reimu stated. “This is it, the singularity point we call the Abyss."

X-X-X

Sumireko stood at the edge of the school gate, looking down into the Abyss. Directly below her, she couldn’t see into the hole at all, as if it was covered in some dark material like the surface of a lake on a night with no moon.

She was filled with hesitation, partly from a natural fear of the unknown and partly because she had no idea how they were to descend safely. Before Sumireko got over her initial hesitation, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. She lifted her head.

Reimu and Sanae walked together up to the edge of the Abyss- and kept on walking. Sumi’s mouth widened uselessly, a hundred meaningless thoughts running through her mind. The two stepped off of the edge into the Abyss together and promptly vanished into the darkness below.

She blinked, staring down into the darkness- but she was unable to see where Reimu and Sanae had disappeared to. Mitsuru promptly followed them, by stepping off the edge, completely calm.

Sumireko gulped and looked to Marisa for encouragement. Marisa flashed her a thumbs up, which she abruptly turned upside down. Sumireko understood it to mean ‘hurry the hell up and jump down’, so hesitantly she leaped, her heart lurching upward into her throat.

A moment later she landed on the ground as if the hole was no deeper than the far side of the swimming pool.

“Took you a while.” Reimu's flat reply made Sumireko open her eyes, which had been squeezed shut in terror. Once she saw that her senior was alive and safe, Sumireko relaxed. From behind, she heard another person land and felt Marisa was there.

“Alright, we’re all here?” Marisa asked, and upon seeing everyone, nodded.

“This… Isn't this a classroom?” While Sumireko couldn’t see clearly due to the lack of lighting, she could identify that the room they were in resembled her classroom. Somehow, after jumping down a hole, they had ended up in a room. It was pitch black outside the windows, the ceiling above was pitch black as well, and there was a strange device near the teacher's podium.

“The Abyss seems to have incorporated parts of our school into its design. We christened this area as the Zeroth Layer because of it. Our probes have detected the existence of other layers, but so far getting to any of them seems to be an impossibility, for reasons unknown. Even our exploration within this Layer always leads us to eventually reach a looping point.” As she explained, Reimu unzipped the little bag in her hand and drew from it a number of steel needles that Sumireko recognized as the ones she used against the Shadow on the rooftop. “First, unpack your weapon. Even if this is a safe area, you don't want to be caught defenseless.”

Not far from Sumireko, Sanae had already unpacked her own, a traditional bow and set of steel arrowheads. Marisa also drew from her own duffel bag another weapon. A Western-styled one-handed sword, rather than something Japanese.

“Here.” Reimu held out a sports bag to Sumireko, who meekly accepted. When she opened it, she saw a disassembled metal pole and a sharp spearhead inside. “Spears can be effective weapons with very little experience.”

“A-Alright then.” Sumireko’s voice shook, but inside she was excited. Not even Renko’s own adventures were this exciting yet. Sumireko felt like she was actually like the protagonist of an urban fantasy story for once. Was this what it felt to truly be “special”?

Sumireko eagerly assembled the spear, connecting the tube-like pieces together and snapping them into shape. It was ingenious how it fit together with only the finest hint of a seam between each segment.

When she finished, it was about 180 centimeters long, and it was surprisingly light. Looking at it inspired courage from within her, but also anxiety. Its sharp tip gleaned in the dim lighting of the room. This weapon could actually kill someone.

“This… it’s authentic, right?”

“Of course. Since you're not used to fighting yet, the range advantage it provides you should help.”

Sumireko glanced at Reimu’s choice of weaponry again. It came to mind that needles were rather unorthodox, not to mention they seemed impractical. Reimu ignored Sumireko’s questioning gaze. “Your Persona is still your primary means of defense here, but it is important to be able to fight them mundanely as well. Overusing your Persona is mentally and physically draining.”

“What about Kirisame-senpai there then?” Sumireko pointed to the blonde’s arm cast.

“For today, the sword will be for dire situations only. I’ll be using my Persona unless the need comes.” With a single, smooth gesture, Marisa sheathed her sword and drew out her Evoker from her belt. “Not like the Shadows we’re gonna face will require anything more.”

Sumireko nodded and began practicing swinging her spear around. It moved more effortlessly than she thought, and Sumireko was overwhelmed by its velocity and momentum, knocking a few tables down by accident. Sanae giggled at the sight, before returning her attention to her own weapon, testing the bowstring. After a little more practice, Sumireko felt confident enough that she wouldn't trip from swinging it. For extra measure, she swung it around a bit more, which seemed to get Marisa’s attention.

“You\ve really never used any weapons before, huh?”

“Hakurei-senpai said that I can get used to this easily. I should just stick the Shadows with the pointy end, right?” Sumireko answered, sounding unsure about what she said.

“Well, for now, you should stick behind the rest of us and watch. This is your first time, so I personally would like for this to be a pleasant experience for you too. Just take it easy, alright?” Marisa winked at her before turning around to talk to Sanae.

“...I guess that might be for the best?” She wasn’t sure what else she could say. She practiced with the weapon for a little bit more until she felt like she knew what she was doing with it. She looked at the others, already near the door. They were all ready. “Alright, let’s do this.”

“In that case, best of luck to all of you. Stay safe.” Mitsuru interjected before retrieving something from the box she was carrying. “And before you go out, wear this.”

What Mitsuru was holding were four sets of an earphone-like device, not too different from common everyday earphones. The lack of cables was odd, and wireless com devices that Sumireko knew were still kind of a crapshoot, but she put them on regardless. Once they were ready, the four girls approached the classroom door. Reimu pulled it open, and they stepped into the hallway.

But, the moment they did so, a large, indistinct shadowy mass suddenly leaped towards them from the left side. Before it reached her, Reimu’s butterfly maiden manifested and knocked it to the ground mid-leap. Amidst all this, Sumireko hadn’t moved an inch, too shaken to even react.

“Focus! We’re under attack!” Reimu roared as she stepped back and pierced the black mass on the ground with a thrown needle, eliminating it. Sumireko hadn’t gotten a good look at it yet and it had already dematerialized. “Sanae, stay behind. Marisa, fire away. Usami, pick up your weapon.”

“A-Ah, yes.” Sumireko finally realized that she had dropped her spear, and fumbled to pick it up from the marble floor. As she did so, Sumireko got a good look at the corridor she was in. The interior looked like the school’s but without the natural lighting. Instead, a hideous green glow filled the floor, which seemed to extend further than the original building would’ve. Just ahead of her, Reimu was fending off the Shadows by deftly dodging their attacks while Marisa dealt the finishing blows from further away. In the meanwhile, Sanae had moved up next to Sumireko, with bow and arrow in hand. She aimed towards the other direction of the hall.

“The next one’s coming!”

This time, Sumireko was ready to see what she was fighting. A large black blob moving like a slime, not unlike what she fought her first day in Iwatodai.

Sumireko hesitated for a moment. But, then she ran forward with her spear in hand. She wasn’t going to let something so small make her lose her nerves. She took a step and thrust her spear forward, hoping that it would hit. But her grip was unsteady, and she narrowly missed it. The blob used this moment to form clawed hands from its mass, and slashed at Sumireko.

“Helen!”

From behind Sumireko, a gust of wind was fired, and it tore the Shadow apart before it could harm her. Sumireko looked back, seeing Sanae breathing heavily with her Evoker on her temple. Her Persona floated next to her. It was like a large figurehead carved out of wood, depicting a nude, yet featureless woman chained to what looked like part of a ship. The woman reminded Sumireko of Sanae a little, which made her blush. Wooden arms comically jutted out of the figurehead, which seemed to be how it attacked.

Seeing it fade made Sumireko realize that the time of danger had passed.

“Sanae…”

‘It’s alright, Usami-san.” Sanae’s hand grasped Sumireko, and only then did she notice that her own hands were shaking. Sumireko had messed up.

“Let’s take it slowly, alright? I was like you too when I started. Let’s go and join the others.”

“A-Alright.” Sumireko nodded. The two did so.

“Are you alright?” As they did so, Sumireko caught a glimpse of the butterfly maiden dematerializing as Reimu dusted herself off. To the side, she also caught a glimpse of what Marisa’s Persona was. From what little of what Sumireko could see, its appearance oddly reminded her of a retro astronaut.

“Y-Yes.” Sumireko nodded. But her hands were still shaking.

“Damn, I didn’t expect an ambush right off the bat. That’s a bad omen right there.” Despite the situation, Marisa’s tone was as relaxed as ever. After something so scary, Sumireko wondered how she could maintain her composure. “If it’s so close, Mitsuru should’ve been able to-”

<"Kirisame, I can hear you clearly.">

A voice came from the headpiece on Sumireko’s ears, revealing its function as a way for Mitsuru to communicate with the rest of the cast. She wondered how Mitsuru was able to see the situation and what sort of assistance she was able to provide, but Marisa spoke first.

“You alright there, Mitsuru? No Shadows entered the safe zone?”

<"You’re already well aware that they can’t. That aside, how is Usami doing?">

Sumireko wanted to respond but the words wouldn’t come out. Mitsuru picked up on it.

<"...Perhaps that was too sudden an introduction. Can you still fight?">

Sumireko nodded, muttering a vague ‘yes’. Even though they should only be able to hear each other, Sumireko felt like she could see the person on the other side of the transmission smiled lightly in response.

<"Then, keep going. Follow Hakurei closely and have her explain the basics to you along the way. The Dark Hour is as its name implies, only lasting for one hour every day. Make the best out of it.">

“Yes, Kirijo-senpai.” Sumireko’s agreement was weak. Then, as if in response to her lack of energy, Sumireko felt a strong hand pat her on the shoulder. Marisa had gotten close before she’d realized.

“Cheer up, Sumi. Everyone’s first time is always terrible. But trust me, soon you’ll get used to thrusting into Shadows.”

“Mari… Kirisame-senpai, please don’t give Usami-san strange ideas, okay? But, more importantly...” Sanae commented to the side, then smiled. “It does take a while to get used to your weapon. If you’re not sure about being able to handle it yet, maybe it’s best to focus on your Persona instead for now.”

“Though, regarding your Persona…” Reimu chimed in. “Hm, nevermind. Let us show you something as we go, instead.”

The four of them continued on their way as Reimu explained about their Personas, specifically, about the spells that Personas possessed that they could use during battles. Sumireko learned that Renko was able to cast the ice-type spell Bufu. She decided to test it on a nearby door. Renko materialized from behind her, and shot a series of icicles towards the target, piercing holes into it with ease. Sumireko was proud of the results. For the most part, it was all on Renko, but seeing the destruction the icicle caused filled her with confidence, too. Afterward, Reimu went to talk about Persona abilities. This was apparently what allowed Renko to slow down time back in the rooftop battle. Upon hearing that, Sumireko looked down to her Evoker in admiration. Renko was truly strong, wasn’t she? And for her to choose to bequeath that power to Sumireko felt invaluable. With the two of them being together…

Sumireko then looked up at the others with expectations. “Then- ”

“Mine can fly.” Reimu declared. Sumireko remembered the night on the rooftop and how Reimu smoothly entered the scene. It felt plain as far as abilities go. She honestly expected Reimu’s ability to be more flashy. Not to mention, in a narrow corridor such as this, the ability seemed to be quite worthless. But before Sumireko could say anything, Reimu suddenly disappeared.

“And also, it can teleport short distances.” A voice from behind her startled Sumireko. She almost screamed before she realized that it was just Reimu. Maybe Reimu’s Persona also had the ability to give someone heart attacks too- Sumireko thought as she recovered from the surprise.

“Well mine’s kinda simple, but I can create explosions!” Marisa proudly declared, but she saw Sanae and Reimu glaring at her and retracted her statement. “I-I mean, mine allows me to put more power into my spells. Power is everything, after all!”

Marisa sounded quite proud of it. What she said did sound strong, but Sumireko felt that it wasn’t very special either. Firing a slightly stronger spell still couldn’t compare to slowing down time.

“As for mine...”, Sanae hesitated. Her expression changed from the smile she showed to Marisa earlier. “Mine doesn’t have one yet.”

<"It may take a certain amount of time for one’s Persona to awake to their ability. It was the same case for Kirisame.">

Sumireko nodded in response. Ultimately, Renko was still the coolest Persona, ability-wise. That made her feel content.

“We still haven’t gone far yet.” Reimu’s words interrupted Sumireko’s fantasies. “We should try clearing three or so floors tonight before leaving.”

They all nodded and then progressed forward, with Reimu at the very front. It was reassuring enough. Sumireko marched while holding her spear and Evoker very close to herself. The deeper they went, however, the stranger everything began to look. The area’s aesthetic that reminded her of their school became more twisted. The patterns slowly turned into alternating black and white tiles as they walked by, and strange misplaced objects littered the area – wooden doors on the floor and the ceiling, for example. Sumireko was tempted to open them, but Reimu didn’t seem to like the idea.

“There’s nothing inside. Let’s not waste time.”

Sumireko didn’t believe it at first and tried to open one. She was attacked by a Shadow coming out of the empty space. Immediately, Reimu handled it before it harmed her, and Mitsuru scolded her for it.

Soon, the four of them stumbled upon a forking path, and Reimu contacted Mitsuru for direction.

<"I have not yet been able to locate the stairs yet. However, the right turn leads to a dead end. Go to the left.">

“Roger.”

They followed her directions and ended in a corridor that seemed to extend far too long. They walked for several minutes and minutes and still, it went on straight without diverging away. This corridor became an eyesore quick, even if the lack of enemies so far was welcome.

“Kirijo-senpai said this sort of thing happens a lot here. It doesn’t make much sense, but nothing in the Abyss really does.” Sanae chirped, and Sumireko couldn’t agree more with her. Why would this be quite dungeon-like rather than, well, anything more natural? It was as if it begged itself to be explored. But if so, then the lack of treasure was quite a disappointment.

“Also... Kirisame-senpai, I heard from Aya-chan… pardon, Shameimaru-san that you just had a break-up earlier this week?” As if to fill time, Sanae continued to talk, this time aimed at Marisa. Marisa was visibly startled by the prompt.

“Ack! How did she even… I suppose it’s impossible to hide this sort of thing, huh?” Marisa sighed. “The relationship was supposed to be secret in the first place, but still...”

<"Maybe dating first years really was not a good idea in the first place, Marisa.">

Mitsuru chiming in surprised Sumireko. Marisa turned even redder. In the meantime, Sumireko noticed that Sanae let out a sly smile as she observed what happened...

“M-Mitsuru! I mean, we parted relatively peacefully and all, so it’s not a big deal, really. She’s a little too much even for me, though…”

She? Hearing that was surprising, but… somehow it wasn’t, at the same time. Looking at Marisa, she really was just the kind to give the vibe as someone who preferred to date girls rather than guys. It was pleasant, regardless. Sumireko refrained from commenting as she watched the conversation continued.

“Oho… so there’s someone that even Kirisame Marisa finds to be too much?” Sanae’s tone surprised Sumireko. It was nothing like the polite voice Sumireko was so used to. However, Sanae changed her tone back and sighed. “Or maybe it’s just because you’re bad at this. How many girls have dumped you at this point, Marisa-senpai?”

“Oi oi, Sanae… this time she’s really a handful. She’s very cute, but…”

Sumireko zoned out from the rest of the conversation, for the most part. She instead held her spear close for the possibility of something ambushing them again. Seeing Reimu grumbling at the other three’s exchanges solidified Sumireko’s choice of action. At most, what she could grasp was that Marisa dated a blue-haired girl with a mountainous ego, and that was it. She couldn’t participate in it anyway.

That realization made her feel a little empty.

Even as part of SEES, everyone else was so close to each other, and Sumireko felt like she was an outsider compared to the rest of them. And, even though she saw Reimu had a similar level of disconnect with the group as she did, Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to interact with the older girl. Every time Sumireko looked at her, the thought of her last words yesterday took over her mind.

_“By joining SEES, you are accepting that you might die against these Shadows.”_

Sumireko wondered if there would still be room for her to reconsider.

“Usami!” Reimu’s growling snapped Sumireko out of her thoughts. She saw an intersection not too far from them, and Sumireko was able to discern some movements there. No, there seemed to be only one this time. Unlike the black blobs they’ve faced before, this singular Shadow had a more concrete form. It was a single small hovering humanoid, its fly wings fluttering almost invisibly so. It wore a little green one-piece dress covered by metallic armor as the chest piece and gauntlets. Its head was obfuscated by a banquet of red petals growing out of it. Compared to the blob or the tentacled little girl Shadow on the rooftop, Sumireko thought that this one was cuter. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with it, but Marisa was quick to act and had already drawn her Evoker.

“Persona!”

The next moment, the Shadow was engulfed in flames. Before Marisa was her Persona, a humanoid one that bore a striking similarity to vintage science fiction space suits. A silver suit made out of metal and rubber, with an oversized rocket on its back and what looked like a raygun on its hand, aimed at the Shadow. The insides of its helmet were dark, invisible to Sumireko.

“Zio!”

With a stiff, robot-like movement, the spacemen shot a bolt of lightning towards the Shadow, frying it. As the Shadow disappeared, Sumireko looked at Marisa and her Persona in awe. Fire and electricity, and with such firepower too. Maybe Marisa was cooler than Sumireko assumed.

<"Don’t lower your guard. There are several other Shadows approaching your position at this moment.">

“Of course! We’re not amateurs here!” Marisa complained.

“But you are the one who tends to lower your guard at important moments, Senpai.” Sanae didn’t waste the moment to take a jab at Marisa while giggling. “Even an amateur like me knows better than that.”

“Reimuuu, Kochiya is being mean again…” Marisa sulked as she approached Reimu, who looked like she did not want to have anything to do with this.

“Even Hakurei-senpai would agree with me about this. Right, Senpai?”

“You’re not the paragon of careful conduct either, Sanae.” Reimu’s words silenced both Sanae and Marisa for the time being. Sumireko at first was worried that Marisa was genuinely hurt by Sanae’s words, but she bounced off it quite fast, so she probably was just playing along. Sumireko wondered whether this was something friends were supposed to do with each other. Though, even if it was, it seemed a tad too mean for Sumireko’s comfort.

In the meantime, Marisa moved forward as if to act as a front liner, but Reimu gestured for her to stand behind, pointing at her arm cast.

“Speaking of amateurs, however,” Reimu spoke as she turned her attention to Sumireko. “You’re not too used to it yet, so you should watch us handle this fight. Learn from it.”

Sumireko nodded in response. She was still not comfortable with fighting, and she wanted to see the others fight too. It might inspire confidence and give her an idea to the things she would need to take note of during battle. Sumireko inched closer and rested her back on the wall.

“Also, your spear, if you will.”

“Eh?” Sumireko was confused, but since she wasn’t fighting, she didn’t mind handing her weapon to Reimu without a second thought.

“Usually, Marisa serves on the front line, but since she’s not available for the task, I’ll make do.” Reimu twirled the spear around before entering a stance. It was apparent that she was experienced with the weapon. In the meantime, Sanae and Marisa were chatting with each other on the side. For such a tense situation, the two didn’t seem to treat it with the gravity it required. Sumireko gripped her own Evoker behind them all, sincerely hoping that none of the Shadows would get past the others and attack her.

It didn’t take long before the Shadows started to appear.

“Another blob huh? Mitsuru, how many Shadows are there?”

<"Less than eight, I’m confident about that. Should be nothing with the three of you.">

“Accidents can still happen. Still, let’s exterminate them!” Sanae took aim. How excited Sanae was threw Sumireko off. Was it her banter with Marisa that was making her excited? The polite and soft-spoken Sanae sure was nowhere to be seen tonight. “Hakurei-senpai, Marisa-senpai, I’m sure we can do it, with the two of you.”

“A bit of confidence does help.” Reimu chimed in. Then they fell silent. The next moment, four Shadows leaped into the intersection from the dark- immediately an arrow flew in and pierced into one, stunning it momentarily.

“Odysseus!” Marisa pulled the trigger and again the spacesuit Persona appeared, blasting the target stunned by Sanae with fire. It was reduced to ash before the other three Shadows completed their jump. Then a spear swung and stabbed another Shadow that was in mid-air to the ground. Reimu had moved into the path of one and killed it before Sumireko’s eyes could properly follow. Then Reimu too pulled out her Evoker.

“Psyche!” The butterfly maiden formed in the distance and then a wave of light engulfed yet another Shadow just as it landed. This time, not even ash remained. In just a moment, four was reduced to one. The last Shadow was the furthest away, unable to do anything. Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae’s gazes locked onto it.

“We know there’s like three or four more blobs with you. Bring them on. We’ll beat them as well.” Marisa taunted it, as if it could understand her words. As if it were actually sentient, the blob paused, as if suddenly aware that it was now alone. The pool of black liquid shrunk, squirming. Before it could escape, a strong gust of wind forced it to crash into the wall, followed by an arrow that finished it off. Sumireko turned to see Sanae lower her bow, while her Persona stood next to her before disappearing. The wild grin that split her face as she watched the shadow dissolve was nothing short of ecstatic.

It was a little scary, Sumireko thought to herself.

“Alright, have this back." Reimu tossed the spear back at Sumireko, who struggled to catch it. "Prepare yourself. There should still be more Shadows coming, I trust you to participate in the next wave.”

<"Well done, all of you. If everyone is in good condition, we should proceed.">

“See? An injured arm doesn’t do anything at all! I’m doing just fine!” Marisa waved her arm cast around like a victory flag. “I TOLD you all so but you wouldn’t listen. Just look at that Agi earlier, that blast killed it good.”

Sanae giggled. “Oh, you’re doing just fine, senpai. And if a Shadow sneaks up behind you, maybe you can just hit it with the arm cast and it’ll go away.”

“Why are you so mean, Sanae…” Marisa sulked.

<"Did anything happen, Sanae? Still, you did deserve it, Kirisame.">

“Save the idle chatter for later.” Reimu declared with a commanding voice, and the four continued walking. Sumireko could’ve sworn she saw the corner of Reimu’s lips curve upwards slightly though. Then, however, they encountered the next batch of Shadows. Despite what Reimu said earlier though, once again Sumireko was relegated to the side as the other three girls made short work of them. With Sanae’s fast and long-ranged support, Marisa’s strong blasts and Reimu’s highly skilled and efficient style of fighting, their formation was very strong and no Shadows were able to stand in their way.

After they were done, Marisa was panting, visibly struggling to continue walking.

“Used your Persona too much?” Reimu asked her.

“Odysseus is the only way I can contribute after all.” Marisa shrugged, doing her best effort to look like she was fine.

“If you’re tired, don’t push yourself.”

“...I’m not tired! Just who do you think I am anyway?”

“Marisa.”

“Marisa-senpai.”

<"Kirisame.">

“Wait, why did you all answer the same thing?! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sumireko began to feel annoyed. A little ball of irritation formed in her chest and it wouldn’t go away. Even though she was wielding a weapon and a special power to fight against the Shadows, somehow, she didn’t feel as empowered or entertained as she thought she would be. Everyone else was enjoying their time here, but Sumireko barely got any action. It didn’t take long before the group detected more Shadows nearby. This was her chance. Before everyone else, she noticed the presence of a Shadow creeping in on them. Despite what everyone else had said to her today, Sumireko rushed in with spear in hand.

“Wait, Usami-san!” Sumireko ignored Sanae’s worried voice.

It was another of the fairy-like Shadows, like what Marisa’s Persona had incinerated earlier. Compared to the blob-like Shadow, it shouldn’t pose much threat to her with its lack of clawed limbs. As Sumireko closed in, the Shadow noticed her presence. Sumireko thought that it was going to close in and attack her physically, but instead, it waved its tiny arms and a series of small, bright pellets formed around itself. It was a dense formation of light bullets, and Sumireko wasn’t sure whether they posed a danger or not. Nevertheless, her right hand went to grab her Evoker in response.

“Persona!” A gunshot rang and suddenly Sumireko’s head felt cleared, of thoughts and of troubles that plagued it. The irritation vanished, replaced by the sight of Renko appearing in front of her. Time slowed to a halt. Both the Shadows in front of her and the concerned voices of Sanae and Marisa behind. The static in her ear, that Sumireko assumed was Mitsuru scolding her, slowed as well. Sumireko felt disconnected from it all. They could no longer catch up to her.

Sumireko dodged the projectiles fired by the Shadows as easily as if they were standing still. Time continued to flow normally just a few seconds later, and the bullets continued on their trajectory. Sumireko could hear them hitting the corridor walls with enough force to cause cracks, but she didn’t care even as the Shadow prepared another volley. Sumireko shot herself again, and time slowed.

<"Usami, there are-">

Sumireko didn’t wait for Mitsuru to finish her words before continuing. She stumbled a little as she ran forward to stab the Shadow. This time, she managed to hit it with a wild swing of her spear. And immediately, she pulled out her Evoker, hoping to use Renko to finish it off. But holding the spear only with one hand as she swung it made her lose her balance, throwing her helplessly into the firing range of the Shadow’s projectiles as she fell to the ground.

“Usami-san!” Sanae’s voice suddenly rang out. It gave Sumireko enough clarity to get ahold of herself and she narrowly avoided a projectile before firing her Evoker again.

“Bufu!” The command of the spell was voiced without hesitation, and the Shadow finally fell as it was torn apart by a pillar of ice forming from underneath it. Sumireko felt elated about the situation and wished to celebrate, but as she attempted to push herself away from the ground, she realized that she barely had the energy for it. The realization dawned on her that she had overused her Persona. Her legs felt stiff, and the weight of fatigue crashed on top of her suddenly. She felt her Evoker slipping out of her grip, followed by the sound of a clang as it hit the ground before Sumireko herself collapsed.

Around her, two more of the fairy-like Shadows appeared, leaving Sumireko no chance of escaping on her own. She attempted to grab the Evoker near her, but she felt too drained to even hold onto it. Her glasses were misaligned. The two fairies became a blur. Bright lights seemed to gather around the distorted form of the two. Were those perhaps projectiles? Sumireko felt that she had to dodge, but even thinking of dragging herself out of the area was so hard...

“Damn it, Sumi!”

An annoyed voice could be heard before the sound of electricity followed a flash of light that hit the two Shadows. The sudden jolt shook Sumireko from her fatigue-induced reverie, and she managed to bring herself to fix her glasses just in time to see what happened. Once again, blinding thunderbolts struck the two Shadows as their attention was taken by a new attacker. Yet, before they could even launch their projectiles, their forms were cut down. What was left of their forms dissipated into oozes of black liquid that evaporated in seconds.

And from the shadows came Marisa, looking exhausted and struggling to even walk forward.

“What are you even thinking, Sumireko?”

Sumireko remained silent. Reimu and Sanae caught up to them after a while, and it dawned on Sumireko just how far had she moved as she felt the reckless rush to defeat the Shadows on her own. Adrenaline perhaps had distorted her view on time and distance in such a short time.

Seeing how everyone now was looking at her, even as she felt a bit of her strength returning, the reality of the situation finally hit Sumireko. Once more, she had almost gotten herself killed. She only got closer and closer to death every time she decided to do something of her own. Renko had long since disappeared from her side as Sumireko succumbed to fatigue. Sumireko was now on her own.

“I expected better from you.” The next one to speak was Reimu. Her voice was as monotone as always, but it still managed to convey the disappointment that she felt.

“...I’m sorry.” It was all that Sumireko could say, said with resignation. Before Reimu’s almighty nature, Sumireko felt powerless. Her mind had zoned out of the situation even as Mitsuru spoke.

<"Alright. Enough for today. Both Usami and Kirisame are in no position to continue. We will talk about this tomorrow morning. Return outside.">

X-X-X

In the darkness of her room, Sumireko lay on her bed, unable to sleep. Her Evoker was right next to her side and she kept glancing at it. She was too tired to write or talk to Renko, and she was not even able to find it in herself to figure out more ideas for her story.

She was supposed to be able to feel proud of herself for her activity in SEES. This was the sort of thing that she wanted, and even if most of the work was done by everyone else, she felt like she was contributing somewhat.

But after such a lackluster performance, how could she feel proud? Everyone was silent when they left the Abyss and returned to the dorm. Sanae didn’t say goodnight to her. Even Reimu was disappointed in her. Everyone might be just too tired to talk, but Sumireko felt that they were blaming her somehow. All she wanted was to do at least as well as the others, but even joining this group still made her feel as if she was still a stranger to them. Seeing the four of them being so familiar with each other made Sumireko jealous.

The Evoker next to her was supposed to be a comforting presence, being a vessel for Renko’s presence, but while holding it and feeling its cold metal on her head was calming, it too, was a reminder of her powerlessness among everyone else.

She should have talked to Renko first.

Unable to do anything else, Sumireko thus fell asleep feeling like she had made a mistake.

X-X-X


	9. Your Story

X-X-X

### Chapter 7: Your Story

X-X-X

“And that should conclude the report.”

Light clapping followed as Reimu finished summarizing the events of last night. Meanwhile, Sumireko sat away from the others, staring at the dinner table itself as this happened.

“I am glad to hear that Sanae has passed her training period with flying colors. The three of you have performed splendidly. As for Usami…” Mitsuru turned her attention towards Sumireko, who pulled herself further away in response. “I would certainly hope that you will not repeat a stunt such as what happened last night. For the sake of our group, and for the sake of yourself too. Do you understand?”

“…Yes, Kirijo-senpai.” Sumireko words were weak.

“Tonight, you will follow Hakurei in patrolling around the city. Shadow activity around the city has been minimal for a while – it should be perfect for you to get yourself used to SEES’ daily rhythm.”

“That does remind me, Mitsuru. Shouldn’t the research of the big Shadow back then be finished by now?” Marisa chimed in as soon as Mitsuru finished addressing Sumireko.

“Ah, yes. About that, our researchers are still analyzing it. While it is not the first time we have seen such an irregular Shadow, just like the needle swordsman last month, the fact that this one is even more powerful than that one, as well as being able to appear outside of the Abyss…” Mitsuru paused. She looked at Sumireko for a moment, confusing her. She had nothing to do about what Mitsuru just said. However, it didn't seem like she was trying to accuse her of something there. Instead, it was more a look of worry? It didn't make much sense. Soon enough, Mitsuru sighed before she continued speaking. Sumireko felt the tension crushing her had lessened.

“There are certainly some aspects of that encounter that we are still investigating. However, we also recently found out that there are new segments of this layer of the Abyss that we hadn’t seen before. Whether the two have any relation or not is tentative, but investigating this shall be our objective on our next dive this Friday. Prepare yourselves well.”

Mitsuru surely was gifted in dumping information while making everything felt tense, Sumireko thought. The table considerably lightened up as the prospect of something new to explore in the Abyss was revealed, but Mitsuru glared at Marisa almost immediately.

“Except you, Marisa.”

“Oh, come on.” Marisa frowned. With how Marisa usually was, Sumireko wasn’t sure if she actually took offense at what Mitsuru said or not. “I didn’t do anything reckless, right? It’s just that I had to bail out Sumi-chan that I-”

“Kirisame.” Mitsuru interrupted her. “We appreciate that you went out of your way to save Sumireko from her recklessness, but it doesn’t mean that you’re doing your arm any good like that. Entrust Usami and Kochiya to Hakurei. I am sure she will take care of them well.”

“...If you say so, mom.”

Even if it was Marisa that was being talked down, Sumireko was the one feeling uncomfortable. All Marisa did was save Sumireko while risking her own well-being. Sumireko was the one that acted recklessly. Even if Mitsuru didn’t address it to her, Sumireko retreated further into her seat in response to it.

“You will get used to it soon, Usami-san.” Sumireko heard Sanae talk to her. Much to her surprise, Sanae had stood up and approached her while Sumireko wasn’t paying attention. She was looking at her, concerned. “With your power, I’m sure you’ll be of huge help to everyone once you warmed up to our activities. And I’m sure Hakurei-senpai will be a great mentor for you, too.”

“Hm.” Amidst all this, Reimu growled, taking everyone’s attention. “If Mitsuru’s done with all that, then let’s just eat now.”

Everyone agreed with what Reimu said, even Sumireko. And so, they began to prepare for breakfast. Sanae was the one to prepare the food with Mitsuru helping here and there, and Reimu and Sumireko were the ones to prepare the table itself. Sumireko stole glances at Reimu’s movements as this happened. Unlike the sloppiness when she was all alone, Reimu was efficient in her movements this time. Far from the elegance of a maid, but efficient nonetheless.

It took them almost half an hour before everything was ready.

“Alright then, with all that out of the way let’s dig in!” Marisa shouted before turning excitedly to the food in front of her. What confused Sumireko as she observed was that Marisa didn’t pick up her chopsticks. Sitting to her right was Reimu, who picked up the chopsticks for the blonde, and it was Reimu who grabbed a mouthful of the food Marisa was eyeing, and then she held it to Marisa who happily ate it. The motion was akin to an owner giving food to a pet. Sumireko supposed that Marisa did act like n excited puppy right now.

“If Reimu would feed me all the time, I wouldn’t mind at all,” Marisa exclaimed happily, which coincidentally answered the many questions forming in Sumireko’s head.

“I only do this because you made your arm worse off last night.” In what Sumireko thought to be a very rare moment, Reimu was pouting. The cool, almost expression-less senior of hers was visibly annoyed.

“Well, you’re my Reimu, and it’s what we used to do all the time, right? You’re the one willing to do this for me while that meanie Mitsuru there would rather see me eat directly from my plate like a good dog.”

“H-hey! Kirisame, what are you-”

“I didn’t know that,” Reimu replied flatly. Sumireko side-eyed Mitsuru and it was clear that she was taking offense to what Marisa just said. Meanwhile, Sanae was looking like she was trying her best not to laugh. “You should recover fast, regardless.”

“Maybe I will... if you pour more of your kindness out to me.”

“Hmph. Then take this.” Reimu took one of the fried prawns and stuffed it forcefully into Marisa’s mouth while frowning. Despite the force though, Marisa seemed to be enjoying it. Sumireko decided that it was for the best to leave them be in their own world. Everyone else also seemed to think that way, and breakfast went on in peace.

As she ate, Sumireko learned that it was ‘tradition’ for SEES members to report on the previous night’s events just before breakfast. When Sumireko asked why, it was surprisingly who answered her.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Reimu said, with a serious face that Sumireko couldn’t object to. “Eat well, Usami. I need your peak performance tonight.”

“Oh! That reminds me of something.” Sanae perked up as Reimu brought up the talk about training again. “Usami-san. You should be careful walking around. We haven’t informed you about the Lost yet, I believe.”

Sumireko’s blank look told Sanae everything she needed to know. “Um, around town you might run across people who seem… a little out there. Like they’re zombies or barely conscious. They’re called the Lost. They’re a victim of the Shadows. If you can’t protect yourself during the Dark Hour, you’ll end up like them.”

Sumireko gulped. She remembered the few times she encountered these Lost before. She thought those were just zoned out corporate drones and low-lives, but hearing Sanae’s explanation brought a chill to her. Between death and ending up Lost, the stakes they were playing at became more and more severe. However, looking at everyone else, nobody seemed to think that Sanae was breaking the lighthearted mood of this breakfast by bringing it up.

How accustomed was SEES to these sorts of morbid things?

“I’ll be careful, then.”

The rest of the breakfast went by without any further meaningful conversation. It was nice as always, and Sumireko felt that she was used to Sanae’s cooking by now. However, the feeling of tenseness and anxiousness made it hard to enjoy it, and Sumireko ended up being the one to leave first.

For the first time, Sumireko decided to go to school early.

X-X-X

Sumireko pushed the classroom door open and stepped in.

The few people already in the classroom at the time turned their heads towards her. The sudden attention made Sumireko recoil, but she didn’t step away. The staring was only natural - Sumireko had been absent for over a week. She didn’t dare make eye contact with them and kept her gaze fixed on the ground. The next moment, the sound of classroom chatter returned as if uninterrupted, which told Sumireko that her classmates had stopped looking.

Sumireko took that as her prompt to walk in and head over to her seat at the window. She methodically slung her bag onto the back of her chair, pulled the chair out and sat down, placing her head and arms on the desk to rest in one swift, practiced motion that was certain to attract no attention whatsoever. Like this, she wouldn’t look out of place and wouldn’t have to risk making eye contact with someone. She could even pretend to sleep until classes began.

“Usami...huh?”

Sumireko could hear someone approaching her. The voice was vaguely familiar, but she was not in the mood to interact with anyone. She kept her head on the table and her eyes closed. If this person thought that she was asleep, then she would leave her alone.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk to me, but no one will be able to fall asleep that fast.”

“What do you want from me?” Sumireko pretended to groggily raise her head. The other girl had already guessed right that she was just faking sleep, but not playing up the role even after being exposed would be admitting her defeat. Sumireko turned her head around to see that the person there was a familiar black-haired girl. She was one of the girls Sanae was friends with, one that was at that one lunch session.

“It’s me, Shameimaru Aya. Don’t you remember?”

“You’re not doing much to make me remember you, so far.” Sumireko blinked as if she was struggling to open her eyes. Aya looked like she was on the verge of laughing as she saw this.

“Or perhaps you didn’t pay as much attention as you should.” Aya smiled at her. Both her tone and her body language was friendly, a bit too friendly. It was a different kind of friendly from Sanae. “But that’s alright. I’m not someone that likes the spotlight, and this is just your fourth day in class. I suppose we can call this a more proper introduction between the two of us?”

“Whatever you say, I guess,” Sumireko grumbled. Leave me alone, Sumireko’s expression did its best to convey that message, but Aya only responded to it by sitting on the desk next to hers. It only made her more eager to stay.

“I just want to say hello, really.” Aya shrugged. “And I mean, I guess I am curious about where you’ve been, too. You just returned to school after disappearing for so long! Most students that left for that long never returned to class, ever.”

“...Eh?” Sumireko looked at Aya with surprise. She didn’t expect people would care that she left for that long, but also what Aya said about students disappearing felt like-

“Just kidding on that last part. We don’t have that many missing people in Iwatodai.” Aya let out a giggle. That was not a reassurance by any means. “But really, where were you?”

“I...uh…” Sumireko paused. She looked at Aya’s expectant eyes and weighed her options. Being honest was not an option, that much was clear. And lying probably would get Aya off her back faster than just ignoring her. Weighing some scenarios in her mind, Sumireko eventually made her answer. “It was just an accident, nothing more than that.”

“Oh? That is unexpected. An accident that just so happened to involve you and Sanae?” Aya’s lips curled. Sumireko’s eyes widened in surprise.

“W-wait, how did you-?”

“See, there have been some fun rumors going around the school about you and Sanae. I mean, the two of you are classmates, are seen with each other a decent amount, and you two disappeared on the same day, without any news. And Sanae being as popular as she is, it’s natural that people would begin to speculate.”

Sumireko froze. Speculation. Rumors. Those were things that she had familiarized herself with. Things that circulated around, and were always at her expense. And that was always just the first step. Sumireko’s hands began to shake.

“Kochiya is really popular. She’s the ever so kind, sociable, and pretty idol among us second years. Then bam, both her and you went poof out of nowhere, and only last week did she appear again, covered in bandages. You are also the girl that barely interacts with anyone aside from Sanae. Someone that Sanae suddenly became very close with. That sort of thing would create hushed conversations, y’know?”

The more words came from Aya’s mouth, the more Sumireko tensed. Her worries became more and more apparent. Only two weeks and she would become a pariah once more. She hadn’t done anything, but yet…

Aya’s tone remained light as her smile continued to be on display. Sumireko wasn’t sure whether she could bring herself to ask what those rumors were.

“So you know... “

Surprising Sumireko, Aya tapped her on her shoulder.

“I think I’d rather know the truth. It sucks to see someone close to Sanae being treated like this, so I figured that I’ll try countering this rumor with the truth, straight from you.” For the first time in this conversation, Sumireko could see that Aya’s smile to her was warm. Sumireko struggled to maintain herself. The rollercoaster of feelings was something she was not equipped to deal with.

“I…”

“Take a deep breath, Usami.”

“...Alright.” Her overreaction was bad. She had jumped to conclusions again. Calm down. Sumireko took a deep breath. Her breathing, uneven as her heartbeat had intensified moments ago, gradually returned to normal. She pushed herself to look at Aya squarely in her eyes. “It’s really not that big. Sanae took me to hang out at night, but we ended up in an accident.”

“I see.”

“It still didn’t feel real to me. We were lucky that we survived and could return here, so soon.” Sumireko did her best in telling what happened that night to Aya in a way that omitted the more supernatural aspect of that event. The big Shadow was just a drunk driver, and Marisa broke her arm since she didn’t get away in time due to taking her time to warn Sanae and Sumireko.

It took Sumireko a while before she realized that Aya had long since brought out a notepad and was busy jotting out a summary of what she said into it, without even looking at the paper. Sumireko shot her a glare.

“Oh, don’t worry about this. I just like doing this because I tend to forget things easily otherwise.”

“Isn’t it part of an interview’s ethic to ask the interviewee first about whether they were fine being recorded or not?” Sumireko sighed. However, she couldn’t bring herself to feel mad at Aya about this. She was helping her. Unprompted at that. Sanae wouldn’t be affected much if this sort of rumor circulated, so Aya didn’t have any reason to reach out to her.

And yet, she did.

“Saying all that, what do you feel now?” Aya prompted.

“I… well, as the victim here, I’m still a little tilted that I have to say all that. I did nothing and I almost become the school’s target practice! Isn’t that a little absurd?”

“School life surely can be quite a battlefield for some people. I don’t care much about that sort of stuff myself, though.” She let out a little laugh. Something about her, even after this, still felt a bit off, but Sumireko ignored that feeling for the time being. “What’s important is that you and Sanae-chan are still alive and well.”

“How do you plan to counter the rumors with this?” Sumireko looked at her, curious. Aya’s smile turned into a catty smile in response.

“I work in mysterious ways.”

“You’re making me feel that saying all that was a mistake.”

“Now you’re being a little rude there, Usami.” Even as Aya’s expression and tone did not change, Sumireko immediately realized that saying that out loud was the real mistake she made. “I’m many things, but unlike certain people, well, most people in this school really, I’m not a liar. Always honest and reliable, Shameimaru Aya. That’s how I choose to define myself.”

Aya stood up from the desk she sat on and moved closer to Sumireko. Maybe a little too close for Sumireko’s comfort.

“Don’t worry about it, really. Anyway, why don’t we talk about other things? Like… I heard you actually lived in Iwatodai before moving to Kyoto, right?”

X-X-X

When the lunch bell rang, Sumireko still had the encounter with Aya that morning stuck within her mind. She glanced around to distract herself. Sanae was doing exercises from their math textbook while occasionally looking at the chalkboard with a pale and drained expression. That was exactly what Sumireko felt today about her classes, and perhaps she got it worse than Sanae. Within the past few hours, nothing that was taught in the class had entered Sumireko’s head. Her thoughts were too occupied by so many different things, and this didn’t even take into account how hard it was to catch up to two week’s worth of materials.

“As expected of an elite school.” Sumireko sighed.

Her thoughts returned to Aya. Sumireko still couldn’t bring herself to fully trust her as a person, but yet, Aya was serious in her concern over rumors that began to swirl around her. For that alone, Sumireko was grateful to her, but Sumireko still felt that Aya even went out of her way to do so was baffling. She thought at first that Aya was willing to defuse the rumors because it would give her the opportunity to dig into Sumireko’s personal life, but even if Sumireko refused to answer the many questions Aya had about her past, she took it just fine and reassured Sumireko that she would still keep her words in countering the rumors. Before this, she couldn’t even say that she cared about Aya even by a bit as a person, but Aya helped her regardless. She really worked in mysterious ways.

Sumireko paused. She repeated Aya’s words verbatim on her mind. That was enough of a sign that she needed a distraction from this thought. Perhaps a good lunch could be a good one. However, the cafeteria was quite crowded when Sumireko arrived. For such an elite school, the cafeteria was surprisingly small. Grumbling, Sumireko wasted no time in buying some cream bread and turned her back to the crowd. She could go to the school’s courtyard, but today she felt like she wanted to be a little productive.

With that in mind, she opened the doors to the rooftop.

Luckily for her, nobody was there when she arrived, not even Reimu. Contrary to popular belief, a school rooftop was not a convenient hanging out location. Only delinquents or cryptids like Reimu frequented this place. Sumireko was neither, though. Just a good girl that wanted some peace of mind. After making sure that nobody else would come there, Sumireko pulled out a notebook that she had been hiding under her vest.

“It’s been quite a while isn’t it, Merry?”

The scene within Sumireko’s mind was clear. It would be set after the two had a whole day with each other, just after Merry was discharged from the hospital. Sumireko thought it’d be ideal if Merry stayed at Renko’s family home in Tokyo for the duration of Golden Week, and thus the backdrop of this particular scene would be Renko’s room, where Merry would talk to her after a bath. The mental image that she had for this scene was so strong, Sumireko felt like she could turn this entire rooftop into the scenery of her dreams if she tried a little harder.

Sumireko wrote and wrote on as the scenes formed inside her mind. Her feelings, her passion, her desires transformed into words, and those words transformed into images. Merry’s appearance at the time, what Renko was currently doing, Merry’s words...

But before long, Sumireko found herself stuck. Without her realizing it, the conversation that Renko and Merry were engaged in had turned into one of their usual arguments. And frustrating Sumireko, she couldn’t figure out how Merry would act here. It had been too long since she had Merry think for herself. Usually, it was not necessary because Renko was around for her. But now, she needed to give a voice to her precious porcelain doll.

But no matter how Sumireko tried, she couldn’t breathe life into Merry. She was a hole in the shape of a person rather than a living human being.

Had she done something wrong?

“Hm…”

Maribel was supposed to be a more passive, composed person. A bit meek, perhaps when seen by others, but when she was with Renko… Right, Sumireko could reveal that she was a bit of an airhead that gets excited quite easily. That was the Maribel that belonged only to Renko.

When a strange case happened, then Maribel should be the one that clung really strongly to the idea that it was caused by something supernatural, while Renko would choose to stubbornly believe that it was caused by a mundane serial killer. It was perfect. The airhead who could only live in her own fantasy world, facing against the brilliant, cool, handsome, and rational Usami Renko.

Like the Detective Prince that she was, Renko, as always, would unravel Merry’s fantasy just as she would unravel… Sumireko shook her head. This was not the time for such a thought. But that fantasy nevertheless energized Sumireko once more, and words flowed out of her as freely as water flowing from a fountain.

_A serial killer made infinitely more sense than demons coming from another world. A serial killer would have a motif that made them someone a detective could understand. There would be a pattern of behavior to discover. Their actions were operating within some kind of visible limits. If this was a locked room mystery, demons would outright break all the rules that would make a case solvable. Reality worked in a way that meant everything would make some sense, eventually._

Sumireko wrote on and on but came to a halt soon after. She reread what had she written. As much as she had written an argument that would make Renko proud of her, she couldn’t feel it. 

Sumireko liked Merry’s answer more, somehow.

_“Isn’t trying to explain it all with such a mundane answer like a serial killer only making it more complicated?”_

Sumireko stared at what she had written so far. This was a ridiculous contradiction in the first place. Dream and Reality was a story with supernatural elements from the very start. Of course Merry was right, and Renko was wrong. There was no chance for Renko to be in the right, in such a situation. Even if Sumireko wished really, really hard for her to be right.

Had she gotten off-track? Sumireko realized the core contradiction in her story. Merry’s simple words had overcome Renko. The very premise of the story meant that Renko would be wrong, on the very principle that she stood for. To Usami Renko, such a thing was an impossibility, right? Her very concept was someone infallible - the ultimate Detective with perfectly sound logic. One that could see the objective reality of a case, one that could always reach out to the singular truth. For her argument to be dismantled was unacceptable. This was an impurity to be rejected - but what should give in?

Sumireko cursed herself. She had thought too much about unraveling Merry- and then Merry became the one to unravel her story. This sort of contradiction would always be the biggest enemy of a story.

_“I couldn’t accept that, Merry. Our goal from the start is to explain all the mysteries we face in a way that our world can accept.”_

Or… perhaps, Renko was hiding something, herself?

A spark. Sumireko continued to write. While she could just ask Renko directly about the answer, Sumireko felt that if she wanted to be like Renko, she should be able to at least figure out what Renko really wanted on her own. As her pen moved, words expressing Renko’s thoughts and feelings on the supernatural flowed.

_“I can’t bring myself to accept supernatural explanations. A convenient explanation of a mystery that took it away from human hands. No one could be held responsible. To me, accepting it would be like giving up. I couldn’t do anything about it anymore.”_

Renko was a composed individual, and she was not spiteful either, so Sumireko couldn’t just write it as something too obvious. Even so, Sumireko wanted to make Renko sound as if her words were laced with disgust about the topic. Maybe, a bit overbearingly so at points.

It should be fine. After all, Renko was just in denial.

Renko would be someone that had always yearned for the supernatural. The mental image of Renko as a child, experiencing her first supernatural phenomenon, it fully unfolded inside Sumireko’s head. She yearned for it, wanted to experience more of it, learned a lot about it, but in the end, she ended up doing a 180-degree turn and shunned her own interest.

And then, she met Maribel. A closed-off looking but eccentric foreign girl, with a keen interest in the supernatural. She was a perfect fit for Renko. From personality to appearance to interest, Merry was the perfect partner to Renko. They were more than just close friends, they shared their passion with each other all the time. So of course, it would be natural that at one point, Maribel would help Renko to realize that she was always fond of the supernatural, remembering the love she had from the time she was still a young girl.

Or, was that how it was supposed to go? Perhaps Sumireko should check on her notes again.

In the end however, Sumireko was satisfied with her reasoning. Renko would not ever be in the wrong if the one time she was wrong was because she didn’t actually believe in her own words. It still didn’t sit well for Sumireko to have Merry be this right, but this was an acceptable compromise.

It sure would be nice to be able to embrace the occult once more, as a passion rather than a burden...

“Huh, you’re done already?” Renko materialized out of nowhere as Sumireko’s grip on her pen loosened. Her sudden appearance made Sumireko jolt from her daze...

"H-hey!"

“Yo! You know, this one's a lot shorter than usual. I know you can do better. You can write five thousand words of nothing but us and Merry talking together with your eyes closed in a single sitting, after all.”

“I’m just a bit stuck, that’s all.” Sumireko averted her eyes from Renko. She was right - for a chapter involving both Renko and Maribel, what she had right now was noticeably short, and Sumireko didn’t feel the drive to fill it with more fluff than it already had. Arguably, the entire chapter was nothing but fluff, but it was all that she could write at this moment. She was planning to write some plot as well, but right now she was stuck on what she would include for the plot.

“You know…” Renko examined the writing more, gesturing to ask for help in turning the pages around so she could read it. “You’ve always said that my parents always cared about me and I maintained a good relationship with them, but you never actually showed them on-screen, no?”

“I want to do that, Renko. Trust me, I really want to.” Sumireko grumbled, closing the notebook before Renko could read more of it. “I just don’t know what to write, that’s all. I’ll figure it out one day, probably.”

“Couldn’t you just model it using your relationship with your aunt and uncle?”

“No.” Sumireko was never close with her guardians, and they mostly only took care of her since they thought of her as their responsibility, rather than due to any genuine feelings. They weren’t abusive or anything, but they were distant. Her aunt enrolling her into Gekkoukan was the first time she had ever gone out of the way to do something for Sumireko… and that was because of Mitsuru setting things up, anyway. “It’s not too important. Your relationship with Merry, and probably the plot, would be this story’s selling point.”

“Then, why don’t you just add more of her instead?”

“Because…” Sumireko paused before deciding to shift the topic away, which was responded to by a frown on Renko’s end. “That reminds me, I’ve been thinking about it lately. Outside of a general concept, the "villain" of this story so far still has no identity. I think I've figured out something about that.”

“Hm?” Renko was still frowning from Sumireko’s attempt to shift the topic away from Maribel, but she was visibly interested in what Sumireko had in mind.

“Remember that irritating little girl that appeared in my room on that night?”

“Have you really told me about her? Which one were you talking about here?” Renko looked at her, pretending to be confused. Renko looked like she was in the mood to irritate Sumireko today. Sumireko could only sigh at her antics.

“Short, blonde, with a permanent smug expression plastered on her face while looking disturbingly like Merry? That one who called herself Yukari Yakumo? But yeah, I’m thinking of basing the villain in my story using her.” Sumireko was still not in the right mindset to brainstorm further than that for now, but remembering her annoyance at Yukari during the only time Sumireko interacted with Renko somehow made her spirited in pursuing this topic.

“Wait, you want me to beat up a little girl?”

“No no, listen to my brilliant idea.” Sumireko stood up. “I’ll just make her significantly taller. Like, think about those Western fashion models! Then I’ll make her have an impressive, intimidating figure to her. She will talk in riddles, and you’ll want to punch her in the face whenever she opens her mouth! Wouldn’t that make a great villain? Hey, what do you think, Renko?”

“I think…” Renko paused to think, but before she could give an answer, a faint voice disrupted their conversation.

“A-ah! Someone’s here before me again...”

Renko promptly disappeared as a stranger disrupted the peace they had. Sumireko turned around to see who came to the rooftop at this inopportune time and saw a girl standing near the entrance door. The girl was visibly surprised to see Sumireko, and since she was holding a lunch box, Sumireko wondered if she was another routine rooftop dweller like Reimu. She didn’t look like a cryptid, and she didn’t look like a delinquent either. She was just a plain-looking blonde-haired girl who would've been plainer without the red ribbon at the back of her hair. Surely, this was perplexing.

Sumireko was going to complain about being interrupted, but her discussion with Renko earlier eased her mood enough that she didn’t feel like she would immediately lash out. Sumireko put her notebook back into her vest before walking away.

“Sorry for disturbing you.” The girl apologized as she saw Sumireko leaving.

“No, it’s fine.” Sumireko passed the girl, and only then she realized that the girl was her classmate. She sat somewhere diagonally opposite of her if Sumireko remembered it correctly. Her appearance was forgettable, and she was pretty quiet, so Sumireko only remembered her because she sat not far from Sanae. “I was just about done anyway.”

“I see...” The girl still didn’t move.

Sumireko paused, unsure of what to do. She could just immediately leave as usual, but at the same time, she was not used to having the initiative in a conversation.“...This rooftop is a nice place.”

“Yes, I like it here.” The girl seemed to be unsure as well, but she responded. “I don’t come here that often though. Usually, there’s this really scary senior haunting this place.”

Sumireko couldn’t hold her giggle. The girl surely was talking about Reimu. However, she was at a loss on how to continue the conversation. She was tempted to tell the girl more about Reimu, but Sumireko felt that doing so would cause Reimu to suddenly appear behind her. They stood there awkwardly, even as the bell for the end of lunch break rang in the background.

“Um, you are Usami, right?” After a while, the girl finally prompted. “I heard from Aya-san earlier that you got into an accident.”

“It’s not that big of a deal, really,” Sumireko answered the girl, but inside she was surprised that Aya had already spread the news this fast. It was scary, actually. Maybe Sumireko was lucky that she ended up on her good side.

“Are you going to be fine?” The girl continued. “You missed a lot of classes and homework, after all.”

“I hope so.” Sumireko attempted to sound confident as if she had the situation under control, but her voice cracked a little at the end. The girl did raise a good point though. Maybe Sumireko should actually try catching up on everything that she missed. Her mind instinctively went to Sanae.

“If you want to, you can-”

“I’ll be fine, really.” Sumireko turned around from the girl and went towards the stairs as to not bother the girl more. Aya was one thing, but talking to a stranger this much had become more and more awkward for her. The girl seemed to be intent on skipping class anyway, and Sumireko didn’t want to disturb her alone time any longer. Once Sumireko thought that she was out of the girl’s hearing range though, Sumireko said one last thing to her. “But uh... actually, thank you for reminding me about it.”

X-X-X

Once the bell rang to end classes for the day, Sumireko packed up and stood up. Her first day back was as exhausting as she expected it to be. It made her want to return home very quickly. She looked to the side.

“Sana-”

Sanae was gone. Sumireko went outside of the class and saw that Sanae was being dragged away by an eager-looking girl wearing a pink sweater jacket.

“Can’t do much about that, I guess.” Sumireko shook her head. She went to her phone and instead sent an e-mail to Sanae before leaving the class. Just when once she felt like catching up with her studies… nah, it’s not like doing so would fix her grades much. Studying with Sanae could be nice, at least.

It wasn’t like she could ask anyone else to study with her. That one friend of Sanae’s seemed smart, sure, but that girl also looked like she wanted to bring down the Ten Plagues on Sumireko whenever she was close to Sanae. Sumireko shivered at the thought.

She ended up going on a detour. Sumireko’s footsteps had taken her into the Paulownia Mall. There was a place there that she had felt some comfort in, and it was the cafe Sanae and Marisa took her to back then - Cafĕ Chagall.

“...Though, maybe I shouldn’t make this a habit.”

Sumireko checked her purse. Her monthly allowance, even with Mitsuru covering most of her meal expenses, had run thin from the last time she came here. But it should be enough for her to indulge for a little bit today. She would need some coffee to prepare herself for whatever Reimu had in store for her tonight.

The doorbell ringing as Sumireko pushed the door open had become a familiar sound to her now. However, she was disappointed to see just how packed the cafe was that day. Perhaps because it was a Monday? She felt that it was a miracle that she even found an empty table just for herself. One of the waitresses gave her the menu, and Sumireko took it from her with a smile. Her bespectacled appearance sure was pretty, but her face was looking a little cold. Though, Sumireko couldn’t shake the feeling that said waitress looked a little familiar as she made herself comfortable on her seat.

“A cup of Pheromone Coffee and cookies, please.”

Pheromone Coffee was the signature blend of this cafe, and the reason Sumireko kept returning to it aside from its atmosphere. A fragrant blend with a softer flavor that allegedly could make the one drinking it more charming. Sumireko very definitely did not believe that second part, and she simply enjoyed the blend for what it was - a pleasant partner for reading.

“No way it would be this easy, ahahah…” Sumireko said that even as she tried to forget that she drank five cups of it the last time she came here. With the order made and the charming waitress leaving her, Sumireko brought out a book from her bag. Ever since coming to Gekkoukan, she hadn’t a lot of opportunities to just sit down and read. In the first place, she would prioritize writing over reading. However, since she had already fulfilled her daily quota, Sumireko decided it would be fine to get some reading done. She thought of reading the psychic detective book Reimu bought her back then, but she decided that a classic would do better instead.

“Excuse me, but do you mind if I join you?”

Sumireko’s thoughts were interrupted by a female voice. Standing across her was a blue-haired woman in a typical office lady outfit, gesturing to the empty seat in front of Sumireko. She had a mature, friendly smile.

Sumireko couldn’t help herself and nodded.

As the office lady was still taking her seat, Sumireko began to internally panic. Was this the effect of the Pheromone Coffee? Wait, no, her cup hadn’t even arrived yet. This probably was just a coincidence. The cafe around her was full, after all. She probably saw that this was the only seat she could feasibly get. That made sense. Whether it was a good or a bad coincidence however, Sumireko couldn’t tell yet.

The woman smiled at Sumireko in appreciation. Maybe this wasn’t a bad development to have. The cold-looking waitress soon returned, and the office lady made her orders. Sumireko’s gaze was on both at the time, but the office lady seemed to notice it. But rather than addressing Sumireko’s curiosity, she instead went for something else.

“Is that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by any chance?”

Sumireko was surprised. She went silent for a few moments, trying to figure out how to best respond to this situation. But after panicking for a few moments, she regained herself. Of course, someone would recognize it. This was a classic for the older folks, after all.

“Ah, yes. I was...recommended this book by a friend.” Sumireko did her best to hide just how much she was into these books. That “friend” was just Renko, anyway.

“Hmmm.” The lady remarked in interest but didn’t inquire any further.

_What was with people today? Suddenly they’ve become more talkative_, Sumireko thought. Aya earlier today, a literal stranger on the rooftop, and now an attractive office lady. Sumireko usually would've just ignored this sort of attempt to start a conversation, but she was curious how far things could go. She gathered her bravery and pushed herself to continue the conversation.

“Do you...read a lot?”

“A little here and there.” The woman unexpectedly gave a sheepish smile accompanying her teasing tone. “So, I suppose you like Christie?”

“Yeah, I guess. I usually don't like Poirot that much, but Marple stories are always a favorite of mine. I just like to read Ackroyd over and over because I still can’t believe that it was supposed to be fair play.” Sumireko answered her the best she could. She was still feeling awkward, but with the topic being something she actually cared about, she felt herself loosening up.

“The twist sure took me by surprise back when I first read it, but to me, it made sense after a reread. And being able to set up such an elaborate mystery, that’s why Christie is great.” And the office lady was seemingly as into the topic as Sumireko too, which came off as a surprise to her. “Fair play mystery is sure nice, but even the rules for that would need to evolve as the era marches on. Something as old as Ackroyd can show that writers continue to push the genre’s limits even in the Golden Age of detective fiction.”

“Still though, innovation can go too far sometimes.”

“I suppose it’s different strokes for different people.” The office lady giggled. “It’s a pleasant surprise to see a highschooler like you that still loves to read.”

“Likewise, it’s surprising to me that I would end up talking with someone else about Christie.” Sumireko wondered if she was acting too familiar to a stranger, one that was older than her even, but this sort of talk was a rarity amongst rarity, and the office lady too, was…

“It’s a pity, I used to consume these books like candy when I was younger, but these days even getting the opportunity to enjoy coffee in this lovely place is a luxury that doesn’t come very often.”

_I don’t want to become an adult like this_. Sumireko thought to herself, as much as she felt that it was an inevitability. However, merely thinking about the future awakened many unwelcome thoughts. Sumireko pushed them aside by continuing the topic at hand in her preferred direction.

“I don’t read that much either.” Sumireko wondered whether lying was even necessary at this point, but this sort of thing had become a habit for her. “But I like mystery fiction a lot. Thriller too is a genre I enjoy, but not as much, comparatively.”

“Hm, would you mind a recommendation?” At this time, their coffee and side dishes had arrived, though neither seemed to be interested in them just yet. “I wouldn’t say that I am a Christie connoisseur, but I think my preferences for her works can count as a little eclectic. Have you read The Secret Adversary?”

“...Ah, I haven’t. If it’s not one of her Poirot or Marple books, I don’t think I’ve ventured much there.”

“It’s quite a different experience, that’s for sure. I would say it’s barely a mystery, but I assure you, it’s still quite an engaging read.” The office lady was fired up as she spoke of her recommendation, and seeing her this excited made Sumireko’s spirit lift too.

“I’ll try to find it, then. A small change of pace could be nice.” Sumireko usually would be iffy about taking the recommendation of other people, but something about the way the office lady talked to her about it made her think that trying out something new wouldn’t hurt much. “I don’t know when I’ll have the time to read it, though.”

“Free time is indeed, a fleeting thing.” The tone of the office lady became wistful as she said it. “I suppose high schoolers these days already have little of it to spare. It’s a shame, but I do hope they can still enjoy their youth when they can.”

“You sound like my aunt, saying that.” Sumireko giggled. It took Sumireko several seconds to realize that she probably shouldn’t say that. However, the office lady joined the laugh when she heard that.

“Really? I was thinking that I would sound more like a big sister to you, but maybe I underestimated the generation gap between us.” The office lady wiped a single tear from her eyes, probably from laughing a little too hard. “Well, whether you see me as a senior or an old lady, it is my hope that you can enjoy your youth while you can.”

“I’ll try.” Sumireko was smiling. The idea of enjoying her youth felt presumptuous, but the office lady’s positivity seemed to have infected her. The two continued their talk about lesser things after, enjoying their coffee and sweets together. By then, the coffee was a little cold, but Sumireko didn’t care. The talk itself was warm.

In the end, the older woman stood up first and paid the bill for both of them despite Sumireko's objection. Before she could leave however, Sumireko stood and called out to her.

“Uh… what’s your name?”

“Well...” She paused for a moment. “My name is Ruri, though I'd like if we meet again for you to call me big sis or something cute like that.”

With a small laugh, she left Sumireko behind, unsure how to react. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Ruri might just be a nickname to the office lady, but in the end, that wasn’t all that important. As the glow from the pleasant interaction remained within her, Sumireko packed up and left the cafe not long after too.

“I don’t understand today at all, Renko,” Sumireko mumbled to herself on her way to the station. She didn’t expect that Renko would actually answer her.

“Normally, I would be cautious about an adult stranger interacting so openly with you, but I actually like her. I’ll let that slide this time. But you sure talked a lot more to people today than usual. It's a little concerning.”

“But... I don’t think any of them, especially her, are trying to take advantage of me, somehow.” Sumireko looked up to the sky above. The afternoon sky was a pleasant sight to see, and there weren’t many tall buildings on their way to the train station that would obscure it. “It’s nice, actually.”

“Well, luckily I’m always with you. For those interactions to go this well, it must be thanks to me, as always.”

_But Renko, today, it was all me._

Sumireko didn’t voice that out as she soon found herself in the midst of a crowd of people going to the station too. Renko disappeared at this time, and her voice wouldn’t have reached anyone. Still, the thought lingered.

Whether or not she would eventually say it to Renko, Sumireko felt like she was in the mood to write more.

X-X-X


	10. Secrets Club

X-X-X

### Intermission 2: Secrets Club

X-X-X

It was midnight. Within the Usami residence, only one source of light was visible. It came from my bedroom. Sitting in front of my trusted laptop, my eyes were fixated on the many, many documents I had currently open there. In the meantime, Merry was sleeping soundly in my bed. Normally we’d still be up at this hour to accompany each other, but we had just had an argument. Unlike our usual ones, however, this time I couldn’t just accept how it ended.

So, I had decided to review this case just to prove Merry wrong. No, to prove myself in the right. The topic of our argument was of course, none other than the mysterious entity known as JOKER.

No, I wouldn’t give her the courtesy of such a fanciful code name. The focus of my pursuit was a peculiar woman named Yakumo Yukari, who had ties to several murder cases and mysterious deaths that had happened recently. Many of these seemed to be unrelated at a glance, but one thing remained consistent - the presence of an imposing blonde woman near the victim at certain points before the deaths occurred.

She sure looked familiar, but I decided to not think about her appearance too much. It was too distracting. More importantly, however, was that she did not exist within any records. It was as if she didn’t actually exist in this world. However, I knew for sure that she was real. After all, months ago, she sent me a letter. A letter of challenge, for me to solve this case and capture her if I could. I tore the letter apart as it was taunting me, but I vividly recalled the signature on it. That was where I got the name “Yakumo Yukari” burned within my mind from then on.

The argument that Merry and I had earlier started off simple - a new revelation for the case, involving new surveillance footage. It was quite normal until I noticed that this footage was set almost at the same time as another piece of footage found in another city. The police didn’t want to talk about it, as always, so it was down to me to do so.

And of course, both videos featured the presence of Yukari prominently. It was an impossibility for a person to be in two places at once, naturally. In both cases, the other person featured in these footages were eventually found dead, in a state that was as if they had been torn apart and half-eaten by a beast. All of this evidence added up into a pile of seeming impossibilities, common to the cases featuring this Yukari.

So, as always, Merry posited to me: what if this case truly was supernatural in nature? What if JOKER really was someone or something from beyond human understanding? I vehemently disagreed with what she said. However, even after I explained my best theories to her, she remained unimpressed. She was uncharacteristically bold today with her opinions.

And boldly Merry fired back. Even my best theory regarding Yukari and how she was connected with these cases – that there might be a copycat killer, or multiple people having her as an identity, made barely any sense. While her outfit occasionally changed, Yukari always made a point to appear as prominently as possible in the footage found of her. She always knew where the camera was as if she was setting up the footage of her appearance itself. And throughout it all, Merry claimed that all of the JOKER sightings were exactly the same person. Merry posited that I was too caught up in the web of complications that I call rational explanation. At that point, a rational explanation required as much of a leap in logic as a fantastical one.

I couldn’t answer her suggestion.

So here I was, reviewing the footage of Yukari’s appearance and everything we knew about her and the victims, making sure that I did not miss anything. The truth about this case was still out there. No matter how complicated her tricks were, I reassured myself that Yukari was human. That she had killed these people with methods known by a human.

But… I couldn’t focus at all. All of the images of Yukari felt like holes in reality, shaped much like a person. Perhaps it was fatigue, or it might be something more insidious. Even the coffee I had prepared beforehand didn’t help me much with focusing. But even so, I refused to accept my defeat. Kyoto’s one and only Detective Prince would not be defeated by a mere serial killer. I refused to accept Merry’s explanation as the truth.

Because if that was true, then I would have to...

X-X-X

_I opened my eyes. I could see that I was in our usual apartment room in Kyoto. I tried to move, but I couldn’t. The first thought I had was that I was experiencing sleep paralysis, but it was only then that I felt a rope brushing against my bare skin. Only then did I feel the gag stopping me from saying anything or screaming for help._  
Only then did I feel the presence on top of me. Maribel Hearn sat on top of my bare body. I did not understand the expression on her face.

_Was she trying something different for once? It didn’t feel like what Merry would do._

_But, before I could rationalize any of this, I could feel her grasp me by the neck. Her soft, slender hands, holding my throat._

_She strangled me._

_I tried to scream for help, but only a whimper came. I attempted to struggle, but it was useless. Merry was much stronger than I expected. As I ran out of breath, I could feel a crack. Everything went dark all of the sudden._

_And then I woke up, alone. On my side, the body of Maribel Hearn with her neck broken smiled at me._

X-X-X

“Is everything alright, Renko?”

“Don’t worry about me. I was just a little sleepy, alright?”

“Maybe sleeping on your desk shouldn’t be something you make a habit out of, then…”

I laughed. My head felt like it wanted to split itself apart, but I laughed to hide how much it hurt. Merry eventually bought my lie, and we entered the aquarium building without her asking any further questions. Today was our date together – I couldn’t let something as inconsequential as a headache ruin it for both of us.

The nightmare of last night was nothing special. Ever since the two of us had started our club and began our relationship, such a dream had been a common occurrence. A dream where I would kill Merry. A dream where I would be killed by her. A dream where the two of us would be killed, a dream where the two of us would be separated forever.

Most people would call those dreams a bad omen, but dreams were nothing more than images our brain made up. I chose to reject such a nonsensical explanation as it being an omen and settled with it being the result of stress from my detective work as an answer. That the methods of deaths in those dreams fit nicely with the cases I investigated supported that rationale. Ultimately, it wasn’t something important enough for me to tell anyone. Especially not to Merry. She’d start thinking about many weird things if I admit that I kept having those dreams.

“Renko, Renko! These jellyfish are very cute, aren’t they?”

“I wonder how it would feel to be stung by these.”

No, what was I doing? This was supposed to be an important time. This is my date with Merry. So why should I think of something so grim? I made a funny face at Merry, who was looking at me with an expression of disbelief.

“Are you into-”

“Let’s check out the sea slug display instead, Merry.”

I was glad that Merry didn’t seem like she had taken our argument last night personally. She didn’t even bring it up today. Instead, she had decided that we should both  
go visit a nearby aquarium while we were still here in Tokyo. It’s been weird seeing her so proactive like this lately, but I couldn’t say no to that.

“They are so cute! Why didn’t you bring your camera here, Renko?”

“My phone’s camera is enough. The other one’s for work only. Unless you want to see dead bodies mixed with-”

“…I’ll pass, thanks.”

We went from display to display, and I took picture after picture of Merry posing next to them. I didn’t really have much sentiment for the displays themselves, but more opportunities to take Merry’s picture would always be welcome.

“Oh, the dolphin show is starting soon. Do you want to check it out, Renko?”

“Sure, yeah.”

If I recall correctly, dolphin shows usually involved a lot of splashing, especially on the seats close to the front. My gaze immediately went to Merry and her dress. However, Merry seemed to be noticing my intention, and she picked the seating furthest away from the splash zone instead. Well, that was fine, I suppose.

“I wonder how the dolphin feels, having to do tricks like that for food every day…”

“You want me to teach you some tricks too? I bet you’d be very good at it once I train you, Renko.”

I looked at Merry with concern, but she laughed it off before her attention was back on the dolphin show itself. Merry didn’t tend to make those sorts of jokes, but perhaps she was just feeling like it after having to spend so long in the hospital. It was a nice show, that aside. I had thought that I wasn’t the type to be attracted to animal shows like this, but the dolphin’s flips and turns were mesmerizing. And they were pretty cute too. Seeing them so happy while eating the fish their trainers gave them made me realize that I hadn’t eaten anything since this morning, however.

“I’m hungry… Merry, let’s find somewhere to eat before we go anywhere else.”

Near one of the main tanks, we eventually found a place for us to eat. As expected, the price was exorbitant compared to if we had eaten outside, but I still had the payment from my recent case so I felt that it was fine for me to splurge.

“Renko.” I was in the middle of eating while Merry stared at me. She was looking concerned. The jovial expression she displayed before in this date was nowhere to be seen, and her tone changed into that of worry too. “Are you losing sleep over that JOKER case, again?”

“Yes, and it’s still going nowhere, as per usual.”

“Please, don’t beat yourself up too hard over it.” Merry played with her smoothie as she said it. I couldn’t look at her eyes right now. She’d know immediately that I was doing it solely to try and prove her wrong.

“That case won’t solve itself. And the police are useless as always. I’ll have to be the one that brings her to justice with my own hands.”

“...You’re getting too caught up in this case. Didn’t you say that a detective shouldn’t be affected by their own emotions? You’re looking like you have a personal vendetta against this JOKER.” Merry sighed, looking disappointed. What she said was right. I hated to admit it, but maybe I was taking this case a little too personally. Soon, however, she got up from her seat. “I asked you to come here with me so you could relax. I’ll go get you something nice. Just wait here for me, alright?”

I only nodded in response. With that, Merry gave me a smile before she disappeared within the crowds. Overbearing as she was sometimes lately, I knew she was doing this for my best interest. I appreciated her for it.

But… just like the name Yukari Yakumo and the letter, there was also something else that I hadn’t told her about yet.

A few months ago, around two months before Yukari sent me her letter of challenge, I saw Merry falling from our apartment room. Or at least, someone that seemed to be her. There was no body to be found, but I was perfectly sure that the person I saw looked just like her. Even if I knew that Merry at the time was still in her classes. It made no sense, and at first, I thought I was just hallucinating due to a lack of sleep, but the more I tried to push it away from my mind, the more vivid the image became.

Ah. I felt my body shaking. My constitution had taken the brunt of my mind’s persistence. I had overestimated just how much I could operate without adequate sleep. Taking a little nap before Merry got back should be fine, right?

With that in my mind, I closed my eyes, and my consciousness drifted into nowhere.

X-X-X

As I opened my eyes, all that greeted me was inky blackness. I blinked once, twice, three times. My eyes were definitely open. No, it was the aquarium itself that had been plunged into darkness. Was it after hours? How long had I been out? Why didn’t Merry wake me up? Merry… Where was Merry?

I expanded my senses - my eyes and ears straining against the darkness. There was no sign of anyone.

With a flick of my thumb, I opened my phone. Its illuminated screen hovered in the darkness, an oasis in an otherwise completely black environment. No messages from Merry. Even odder, I had no signal. The dull ache in my cheek was enough to prove that this was not a dream, and I began to truly consider my situation.

Had the power simply gone out at some point? No, an aquarium like this would certainly have backup generators to maintain the delicate conditions of the fish tanks. Perhaps some sort of emergency had occurred, but if there was any evidence of that, it lay hidden beneath a blanket of darkness. If indeed something of that nature had occurred, why had nobody woken me up? Could I really have slept through something like that?

Most importantly, where was Merry?

It was pointless. Even I couldn’t deduce answers from nothing... I needed more information. Slowly, I rose, pushing my seat aside. The sound of the metal legs scraping across the floor echoed conspicuously through the seemingly abandoned aquarium. Hopefully, there was someone around to actually hear it.

The meager light provided by my phone made exploration possible, but not practical. I slowly navigated the endless hallways of glass, running my hand along the nearby walls whenever possible. Occasionally I would read the nearby plaques to try and get a sense of my location, but it was no use. I had been too unfocused earlier to remember much about the layout of the various fish tanks and aquatic life.

In this oppressive darkness, the aquarium had been transformed into a maze where the world ceased to exist beyond the light of my phone. Even I was having trouble creating a mental map under these conditions. If I was having this much trouble, how was Merry feeling? Was she scared? Maybe she was just waiting it out, whatever 'it' was, without a care in the world. Maybe she wasn’t even here at all. That was the possibility that bothered me the most.

As I continued walking I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was going around in circles. No, I was certain of it. Was there nothing else I could do to help myself navigate this darkness? Before I could come up with an answer, the dimming of the light coming from my phone caught my attention.

Without further warning, it went out completely.

Internally, I kicked myself. Caught up in my strange situation, I had neglected to check my phone’s battery. Had I taken too many pictures with Merry today? Or maybe I had stayed up too late and forgot to charge it? In vain, I tapped at a few of the phone’s buttons trying to coax some reaction from it. No response. Alone in the dark, my situation had just gotten that much more complicated.

I was lost, completely, and now I no longer had even the means to find myself, much less find Merry. My mind raced for a solution. Somewhere to go, some way to move, but how could I go anywhere when I knew neither where I was nor where I was going? In this pitch black darkness, even walking in a straight line would prove difficult. Without me even realizing, my body had become tense and my pulse had quickened. I forced myself to slow down and relax. No, there was no need to get stressed out. As far as I knew, neither I nor Merry was in any danger. If all else failed, all I needed to do was wait, either until the lights came back on or until sunrise.

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. Silence, all around me. Not even the tanks were making any noise. This situation was ridiculous. During what should have been a pleasant afternoon’s diversion with Merry, somehow I had gotten locked into a pitched battle of wits with a dark aquarium. No, not an aquarium, but the unknown itself. I had no answers, no vision, and no idea how to even proceed.

However, I was never one to give up. Never. I’m Usami Renko. As my frustration mounted, my determination has always risen to meet it, for as long as I could remember. I began to walk.

I was sure I would find Merry, and find out what happened here. It would probably be something trivial, frivolous even, and Merry would laugh at me for taking the situation seriously. I could picture the teasing smile on her face, ‘Were you afraid the boogie man was going to get you, Renko?’

...

_Tap, tap, tap._

I came to an immediate stop. For the first time since I had woken up, I heard something. A sound from a source other than myself. Footsteps, the distinctive staccato of high heels striking the floor. I couldn’t tell if they were growing closer, or further away, but I knew I had to chase them.

I began running. I had nothing to guide me but the sound of those heels, and I could only hope that I didn’t stumble over something in the dark. It was a strange sensation, feeling the air rush past me even as the scenery remained an unchanging blackness. I was moving even if my eyes weren’t able to confirm it. I had to find this person, whoever they were.

As abruptly as they began, the sounds ceased.

Reflexively, I slowed down. Had the high heels gotten away from me? Were they too far away for me to hear? No, they weren’t that far away to begin with. They must have stopped. Did that person hear me? Just as I opened my mouth to call out to them, the world began to light up.

Relief washed over me as, one by one, the lights of the aquarium returned to life. My vision blurred at the sudden reintroduction of light into the environment. Looking around, it seemed I had somehow made my way into the tunnel running through the aquarium’s largest tank. The large shadow of some aquatic lifeform moved over me, and I looked up to see a whale shark making its way past. It didn’t seem much worse for wear, as far as I could tell.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Snapping back to attention, I could see the person I had been chasing approaching me. No, I couldn’t quite see her, she was still amidst the shadows, somewhat. All I could tell was that she was a woman, a tall one at that. I began making my way towards her, preparing for an impromptu interrogation.

As the figure walked into the light, I stopped. I could feel my heart skip a beat. Her flaxen locks cascaded from her head into heavy, luxurious curls that went past her waist. She wore a deep violet dress that didn’t belong in this century, made of velvet that clung to her bosom and hips before blossoming outwards around her long, shapely legs. I could not see her face. It was being concealed by a folding fan, held by her gloved hand.

I didn’t need to see her face, though. I knew who this was. I felt my hands balled into fists.

“Greetings, Detective Prince.” Her voice was dark and melodic. Slowly, she closed the fan until I could see her eyes. Purple eyes that almost seemed to glow. Even from this distance, I could see them clearly. Surely it was just a trick of the light.

“It’s been some time since our last encounter, has it not, good detective?” Without further warning, she snapped her fan shut, releasing a sound that seemed far louder than it should have been. Her devilish smile was on full display, rouge-colored lips curled upwards to taunt my confusion and surprise.

_Yakumo Yukari._

X-X-X

It had been almost four years since we met. Since we exchanged vows under the starry night, tying our fate into the ancient club we resurrected together. Back then, I saw the light in her eyes. Eyes that told me her wishes, to stand next to me and accompany me through many journeys.

A gaze that showed her belief in me and my existence as an irregular phenomenon.

I had no idea what had happened. Years went by, and she became famous. Yet, that gaze she once gave me had changed. “You belong to me.” That was the one thing that she kept on saying. As our relationship evolved beyond friendship, she showered me with love and demanded as much from me. But the gaze of the one who believed in my words was long gone.

I stayed beside you because of my love for _you_, but did the Usami Renko that I loved still exist at this point?

I had pretended for so long, that my feelings for her remained, that I wanted to walk down this path she had chosen for herself. The Secret Seal Club that had once been the chain that tied us together became nothing more than a joke for Renko - a testament of supposed faux mysteries for her to debunk and destroy. I had kept my own experiences hidden from her for so long. The visions that these eyes of mine had shown me. Being treated as an airhead by her was better than hearing her doubt the nature of my very existence again.

An eternity passed. I opened my eyes to see a field of flowers greeting me. The afternoon sky above me stretched into infinity. I understood what happened.

The dream world that only I knew had called me once more.

The dream world that Usami Renko had long since forgotten.

X-X-X

_Tuesday, 21st of April, 2009  
Iwatodai Dorm  
6.00 AM_

“...No, this is all wrong… did I really write this?”

Usami Sumireko looked through her Word document with confusion in her eyes. What was meant to be just a quick check on her progress had only lead to more questions once she actually read what was in the document.

She couldn’t remember writing most of what was in it. Both Renko reviewing her case as well as Renko and Merry’s romantic date on the aquarium, she vaguely remembered working on that before she trained with Reimu last night. But everything else? Sumireko checked her laptop’s password. She had changed it recently after she made sure that her room was no longer bugged.

No, her laptop was still protected.

However… in the first place, it was hard for Sumireko to remember what happened last night. Reimu’s training was brutal, as expected, and everything around and about it was vague. She went over the document once more, and let out a loud. relieved sigh. Despite her initial concern, on a closer look it did fit with what she wanted to do with her story, for the most part. She felt that the Merry segment came way too early, however, but perhaps last night she had just felt particularly inspired after her talk with Ruri. That was really her main issue with what was written - her precious doll talked before the time she was meant to. It was a little bit too elaborate for Sumireko’s tastes as well.

With some cuts, everything would look right. Every explosion of creativity needed to be trimmed before it could be presented, anyway.

X-X-X


	11. One Without a Dream

X-X-X

### Chapter 7x: One Without a Dream

X-X-X

The pure white filling Sumireko’s vision dissipated into a flock of herons, revealing the vast emptiness of space behind them. The twinkling of the stars and planets, and the bright path of the Milky Way soon filled the scenery. In the midst of this, Sumireko stood on top of nothing, and walked through nothing as she followed a nothing path leading her towards a train station.

An old steam locomotive was waiting for her there. It was a vaguely familiar sight.

She began to feel cold. Sumireko hastened her steps. As she boarded the train, it became clear that there was nobody else aboard. Blue carpet draped the floor of the cabins. Going through the cars only revealed more and more blue as far as her eyes could see.

Sumireko walked without any clear direction, but something nevertheless guided her steps. Someone was calling for her.

“Greetings, Ms. Detective.”

Sumireko’s own legs led her to a door in the frontmost car. As she opened it, a familiar sight greeted her. Sitting right behind a table was a blue-haired girl in monochromatic dress. Something told her that she had met her before. The blue-haired girl smiled at her, and gestured for Sumireko to find her seat.

“Do make yourself comfortable.”

A name passed through Sumireko’s mind. Doremy Sweet. Such a weird name, even in English. As Sumireko sat down, she could feel the gentle shaking of the train as it began to move. The loud whistle, the sound of its engines firing up, and the feeling of movement became the prelude to the sea of stars outside of the train’s windows beginning to move further away.

Looking at the sea of stars out there, Sumireko felt insignificant. It was a world too wide for her to comprehend, and so she averted her gaze. As her attention returned to Doremy, she saw that a tea set had been set up on the table without her noticing.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room. It is on my behalf that you are here.”

“Where are we going?”

“This place is shaped by your own unconscious. Perhaps you would know better than me.” Doremy made a little giggle. For someone so refined, her giggling was not unlike that of a child’s. It took Sumireko off-guard. “As you make yourself comfortable, let me serve you this tea.”

Doremy poured a cup of the steaming beverage for Sumireko, who couldn’t tell what blend it was. In the first place, she wasn’t very familiar with tea, but it was fragrant. When offered, she took a sip. Flavorless, though a little bitter. Sumireko was surprised she was able to taste something in this situation. Right, she had been here before. When she was unconscious after that rooftop fight, she was here too. Sumireko still had little idea of what Doremy wanted from her, but that she was here must mean something. The tea was too hot for her to finish. She placed the cup back on the table, and leaned back in her seat. Doremy seemed to take it as a sign for her to begin speaking.

“While in this particular meeting, I am meant to discuss something of much importance to you, perhaps you would like to ask a few questions beforehand?”

“I still don’t get it. Who are you, and why do you want to meet me, specifically?” Sumireko was tense, but she found herself able to express her thoughts better than she expected. Perhaps because this was probably a dream?

“If I have to describe myself… then I would say that I am a tour guide for your journey to the underworld. Anything further than that, I fear, would be unnecessarily confounding for your purpose right now.” Doremy looked at Sumireko with interest.

“Purpose?”

“You are one who has signed the contract, and with that, I have to assist you on this journey. After all, you may die in this story, and I think we both agree that would be a real shame.”

“...You’re not making any sense.” Sumireko shivered at the thought of dying from whatever this Doremy schemed for her. However, something about all this was exciting, somehow. Why her? And she couldn’t even sense Renko with her on this train trip. Only Doremy and herself were on this train. Whatever this journey was, it was a journey only she would partake in.

“I suppose I am being too cryptic. I apologize, Ms. Detective. It is simply a bad habit of mine to be so.”

“Then again, I suppose dreams aren’t meant to make sense in the first place.” Sumireko sighed. The blue in this room was calming, and as she stared at the ceiling to think more on why she was in this sort of situation in the first place, she could hear a gentle piano tone begin to play. As an operatic voice inserted itself into the track, only then did Sumireko realize that an old radio was also inside of the room.

It was a nice melody, Sumireko thought. A little too old-school for her, but it was calming.

“So, why did you give the contract to me, specifically? I mean, I’m not exactly the kind of person one would entrust with… whatever this mess is, right?”

“Ah, about that…” Doremy paused. For once, she averted her gaze from Sumireko as she was seemingly thinking about her answer for a moment. “It was not me that had you sign that contract. As I’ve said, I only chose to be your guide on behalf of an associate of mine.”

An associate? Sumireko remembered the first person that had brought up the idea of a contract. Her stomach churned.

“Is it Yakumo Yukari? The associate that wished for you to be here?”

“No.”

For once in the meeting, Doremy broke from her friendly expression. As if she was offended that Sumireko brought that name up to her.

“As much as I lack knowledge of that entity, I assure you that I have nothing to do with her. This place is not one for those who lack a dream of their own.”

“I… well, that is good to hear, at least.” Sumireko had no idea what that last part of Doremy’s sentence meant, but the previous one was good enough to satisfy her. At least, the different parts of the supernatural didn’t actively work together to conspire around and control her life. Still, even if she had nothing to do with Yukari, Doremy unnerved Sumireko. She couldn’t help but feel that Doremy was looking at every single inch of her as the two talked, as if she was bared before her, unable to hide anything. Despite her natural smile, Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to trust her.

“Is that all you have to ask, Ms. Detective?”

“Hm. Actually, I have one more question. What is the Dark Hour, anyway?” Sumireko decided that she might as well ask about it. Even if Doremy had nothing to do with the Dark Hour, she might be able to give a better insight about it than the likes of Ikutsuki or others, right?

"...A time for those that wanted to run away from reality, I would say." Doremy shrugged her shoulders. Her tone was a little cold for once. "Again, you asked me of things I have no connection to, so I would not be able to give a satisfying answer here."

Indeed, Sumireko wasn’t satisfied, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She nodded to signify that she did not have further questions, and let Doremy took the lead.  
“That is all, I guess.”

“Very well then, let us move on to the main topic today.” Doremy reached out for the teapot to pour another cup for herself. She gestured to offer to pour one for Sumireko, but she declined. Doremy put the pot back on the table. “As amusing as this place your consciousness has shaped is, it did not exist only for me to hang out and regale you with my wonderfully dense narration, my dear guest. Indeed, I am here to offer you a service. As the chosen guest of the Velvet Room, you have the privilege to utilize my service.”

“...A service?”

Privilege. Service. Sumireko attempted to understand what Doremy might mean by it, and it finally dawned on her.

She was chosen.

This was something that only belonged to her.

Such thoughts had been dwelling within her from earlier, but now everything clicked together. For some reason, she had been chosen. She had no idea of what it meant, or what sort of service Doremy would even provide to her, but she was chosen. Not Reimu, not Marisa, and definitely not Sanae.

She was special, even compared to them.

The mere idea gave her a feeling of anticipation, and yet, also anxiety. It was an overwhelming thought. Was it even right for her to be here? She didn’t even know what exactly set her apart from the others. Just like the sensation of holding her Evoker, Doremy’s words gave her a sense of comfort and worry.

“Indeed. A service, for you to be able to shape the world around you. The final piece of the puzzle to make this the story about you, Usami Sumireko.” Doremy gave Sumireko a satisfied nod. Her words carried so much weight with them.

_Shape the world?_

A card made of light formed between Sumireko and Doremy. As it floated in mid-air, Doremy continued.

“Ms. Detective, I hereby present you with the power of-”

**The card shattered.**

Moments before the card came into Sumireko’s grasp, it dissipated into nothing. Sumireko stared at the blank space before her in confusion.  
But it was Doremy herself that became even more confused than Sumireko was. The girl gripped Sumireko’s shoulder, as if she was needing the support. Her almost unflappable expression was shattered by the surprise.

“No, this must be a mistake.” Doremy’s hand, and her tone of voice, tensed up. Sumireko winced in pain. “This makes no sense.”

Her grip was tight and Sumireko let out a yelp from the slight pain without meaning to. That made the grip loosen. But it didn’t leave her shoulder. Silence fell between the two.  
Sumireko, who was still wrapping her mind around how much she wished for this, couldn’t think of anything to say. She felt a profound sense of loss weighing on her heart, but all she could think of was how confusing everything about this was. Whatever had just happened was even more nonsensical than everything that happened to Sumireko so far.

“...Forgive me, but there have been some unforeseen issues.” After what felt like an eternity, the hand on her shoulder let go, and the next moment, Doremy returned to her seat. But her gaze was no longer on Sumireko, it was focused down on the table, as Doremy rested her head between her hands. Despite her own confusion, seeing something as nonsensical as Doremy being this distressed calmed Sumireko a little. She leaned on her seat, taking a deep breath. Something had been taken from her even before she knew anything about it, but at the same time, at least it gave her the opportunity to stand on even ground with Doremy for once. It was a special moment in its own way.

It was then that Sumireko saw the teapot Doremy had been using and lifted it up. She tried to make the most relaxed, calm smile that she could, but her face felt very strained. Sumireko wasn’t used to it, so when she spoke her voice cracked. “Want a refill?”

“...That would be much appreciated.” Despite her unsightly manner, Doremy relaxed her shoulders as well. She accepted the cup that Sumireko had refilled, and then poured one for Sumireko herself. The fragrant aroma of the tea wafted within their cabin. “As you have assumed, there is an unforeseen development. One that my associate had not yet told me about.”

“So, that power…”

“You are not eligible for it anymore.” If it was not for Doremy’s distress, this would be the moment where Sumireko felt that the entire thing was a scam for her to do something she would regret later on. “Yet, for some reason you are still able to access the Velvet Room. It confounds me greatly, I must admit. Usami Sumireko, you are not the Wild Card.”

The words sunk into Sumireko. But she couldn’t quite understand the significance of what Doremy was talking. She had no idea what this “Wild Card” was supposed to be in the first place.

“Wild Card?”

“That is the ability that I would bestow upon you. It is an ability for one to shape themselves through multiple different masks. A power that allows one to wield multiple Personas.” Doremy’s explanation here was surprisingly lucid. Perhaps she was the sort of person that would only make sense when she felt distressed.

“And-”

“Without a Wild Card, how would Tartarus be cleared? Everything that has happened so far should have led to this moment, of the power being bestowed to you. This story won’t work without a Wild Card. This script has been ruined!”

And Sumireko’s hope for Doremy to make actual sense was dashed in its cradle. She had no idea about what Tartarus was even supposed to be. Perhaps because of how fast Doremy was speaking, irritation began to seep into Sumireko’s thoughts.

“You’re making even less sense than usual.” She was barred from getting her power for some unknown reason, and now she was immediately thrown into a situation that made even less sense. Her frustration was displayed in her tone as she stared at Doremy’s confused state.

“...Ah. I apologize, that was uncalled for on my end.” Doremy, even as she was still panicking, seemed to have snapped out of the daze by Sumireko’s irritation. It was enough at least to get her to sit in a more proper manner again, but her gaze was still going everywhere. “Something had changed the narrative of the story I have for you. But I can still figure out something. This story cannot end here just like this. So don’t pay me much mind right now, because I have everything under control.”

“That doesn’t sound like it comes from someone that knows what to do.”

But by that time, Doremy was already back to her rambling.

“It’s unfair for there to not be a hero in a story. This narrative of happiness and sacrifice, this story of love and death requires someone, anyone to deliver its grandeur. And you, Ms. Detective, are the perfect person. Or I thought so. Something changed. You have changed. The you of now is not the one who signed the contract, ten years ago.”

“Ten years ago? What do you even mean with all this?!” Sumireko raised her voice. How did this have anything to do with ten years ago? Was it that incident that made her eligible to receive whatever this power was?

“Hm, no, it won’t work, but...” Doremy spoke to herself, lost in doubt and concern. She did not hear Sumireko’s question until Sumireko’s grumbling became more and more audible. “Apologies. But hm...”

“What’s that? Answer me!” Sumireko pushed further, desiring an answer.

“Very well. I have made my decision.” Doremy declared. Sumireko was unsure whether she had actually paid attention to her or not. “It may be a little crude, but this is how I shall resolve this situation of ours.”

The next moment, without any gesturing or buildup, Reimu materialized, sitting right next to Sumireko. Reimu glanced around quickly with an alerted expression. However, she loosened a little the moment she noticed Sumireko’s presence there.

“Usami?”

“...Hakurei-senpai? How did you… no, of course Doremy could do something like this.”

”Welcome, to the Velvet Room.” Doremy interrupted them with a smile. Reimu glared at the mysterious woman. Sumireko noticed that Reimu’s hand went to grab at her waist, but as there was no Evoker there, it was simply an empty gesture. Sumireko was sure that it wouldn’t stop Reimu from beating up Doremy should the blue-haired girl push her to do so, however.

“If you are an enemy, then I would have to eliminate you, even without my Persona.” Reimu did not look like she was panicking at all. This was supposed to be a dream, so seeing Reimu was this guarded even in it was a little chilling for Sumireko, as much as it was natural for her to be guarded in front of someone like Doremy in the first place. “Explain- why do you call me here.”

“Please, allow me to speak my mind. The reason that you are here in the first place is caused by an emergency.” Doremy was looking calm at a glance, but the crack in her voice was painfully noticeable. She still hadn’t managed to fully regain her grasp of the situation.

“This is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter. Perhaps I should say, a place where dreams and reality hold no distinction. I have invited you here to bestow upon you a power, Hakurei Reimu. This should’ve been something I would hand over to the dear guest to your left, but due to a certain circumstance surrounding her, that is currently impossible. You, who have yet to sign a contract, happen to be a compatible Fool.”

“And by that, I would assume that you are referring to our Arcanas.” Reimu closed her eyes. Sumireko looked at both in confusion, but after a moment, she realized that the two were talking about the tarot. How that connected with their current situation was something Sumireko had little to no ideas about, however.

“Indeed. Your Persona takes form as the lovely Psyche, isn’t it? Psyche of the Fool Arcana, the empty shell of a butterfly maiden.” Doremy turned towards Sumireko at this time. “Personas and Shadows, as two sides of the same coin, are classified based on the Major Arcanas of a tarot deck. For one to be a Wild Card, their Persona would need to be a suitably empty vessel. Only one possessing the Zeroth arcana would be able to do so.”

“So, what do you mean about how I changed…” Sumireko asked desperately.

“Close your eyes, and look within your heart. You shall be able to see the truth for yourself.” It was the last thing Doremy said to her before she returned to Reimu, explaining some of the situation to her. Sumireko zoned out of their conversation.

Something about seeing Reimu sitting in this cabin, next to her, pained her heart. As Doremy told her to, Sumireko ended up closing her eyes. She turned her thoughts to Renko. The one who gave meaning and color to her daily life, the one who provided her with comfort and security. Her guardian. Her Idol. Her Persona.

A name lit up from within her.

Orpheus of the Moon Arcana.

“Well then, dear esteemed companion of the Detective. I have summoned you here to grant you power. For that, a contract must be made.” Doremy waved her hand, and a piece of paper appeared on the table. Sumireko looked at it but couldn’t read anything, the text was blurred. “Unfortunately, a contract is private between the recipient and I. Even you cannot view it, dear guest.”

Reimu picked up the contract and read it. Even in such a confusing situation, with less context of what was going on than Sumireko, she still retained her composure. Sumireko couldn’t help but to admire her, but at the same time, the ease of accepting the situation also was slightly creepy.

“I understand. I’ll sign this, so hurry and finish our business here. Whatever this place is, I cannot trust it or you enough to stay for long.”

With the same smile as before, Doremy nodded. It was as if she expected that exact response. “Understood.”

A quill magically appeared in Reimu’s hand, and the very next moment she used it to sign her name on the sheet of paper. Then, both the paper and the quill disappeared.  
“You are now a welcomed guest of the Velvet Room. Pleased to be an acquaintance of yours, Ms. Shrine Maiden.”

Between Reimu and Doremy, a tarot card formed. It was the exact same scene as what had happened between Sumireko and Doremy earlier. The glowing card floated closer towards Reimu, who closed her eyes to accept it openly. The card nestled itself on her chest before dissolving into her. The power bestowed upon that blank card had now become Reimu’s possession. The confusion Sumireko had within her mind about this situation evaporated, replaced with a profound sense of emptiness as what was supposed to be hers had been taken away from her.

As the procession of power concluded, Doremy shifted her gaze towards Sumireko. Her smile turned inwards, as if regretting her course of action. “Today was a blunder on my part and for that I apologize. But do not think our meeting held no meaning. I sincerely hope that the two of us can meet again in the future.”

Sumireko couldn’t even bear to look at Doremy, let alone Reimu. Why would she even want to meet with Doremy, at this point?

“As for you, Ms. Shrine Maiden, I believe we will soon meet with each other outside of this cabin of mine. And at that time, I will show you how to utilize this power that I have entrusted to you.”

Sumireko could feel that Reimu was looking at her now. She threw her gaze on the opposite side, towards the vast emptiness outside of the window. The twinkling sea of stars gradually gave way to another statue. Another station was nearby.

“Well, I believe this is the end of today’s dream for the two of you. May the two of you continue to find meaning in the waking world.  
For now, I bid you farewell.”

The light from the Milky Way ate through the sea of black and blue as the train came into its gradual halt, and the last thing Sumireko saw was the light washing over her vision, overwhelming her.

X-X-X

_Wednesday, 22nd of April, 2009  
Iwatodai Dorm  
3.00 AM_

In the darkness of her room, Sumireko stared at the vast darkness outside of her window. Clutching her legs, she trembled.

Everything about the dream she just had was still vivid inside of her mind. She did not need any sort of confirmation about its nature - she knew, deep within her heart, that it was truly something that happened, rather than just a machination of her fevered mind.

Sumireko thought that she could be special by joining SEES. All she got was the feeling that she was a useless stranger in the midst of a group of friends.

Sumireko thought that Doremy could make her special. As nonsensical as it was, in that brief moment, Sumireko could for once dare to dream to be someone truly special. But she saw that chance being taken away from her. Because, somehow, she had changed. Whatever that had taken that chance away, Doremy indirectly put the blame on her. Perhaps she shouldn’t have raised her hopes in the first place. She should’ve just stuck with Renko. Reimu was always the one qualified for anything like this, not her. If she never dared to have that dream, she wouldn’t feel this emptiness.

Alone in the dark, all Usami Sumireko could do was to cry.

X-X-X


	12. Chapter 8: Closed Rain

X-X-X

### Chapter 8: Closed Rain

X-X-X

_Friday, 24th of April, 2009  
The Abyss Safe Zone  
00.00_

As it had been decided, Friday midnight was the time for SEES’ next dive. Within the lone classroom that had become their safe zone, four girls were present. Marisa had been forced out of today’s mission because of her injuries, so Mitsuru briefed the other three members closely regarding their objectives.

Sumireko found it hard to focus on what she was saying.

“The existence of the segments of this layer has been confirmed by our devices. Our task today is to see how far we can travel now before the layer starts looping again.”

Three days had passed since her meeting with Doremy. It had been three days, and yet Sumireko still struggled to stop thinking about that event. She had not been able to bring herself to talk with Reimu about the issue, and Reimu became harder and harder to find outside of training time, as if she was intentionally avoiding her.

“Our hope is that we can finally locate the endpoint of this layer and reach the next. However, this new segment potentially hosts new threats, so be careful. Normally, I would rather wait until Usami grows more experienced, especially considering last time, but…”

It was not Reimu’s fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault in the first place. The blame solely lay on Sumireko for getting her own hopes up. She kept repeating this fact to herself so she could accept and get over it, but so far she had failed. If Renko were here, she would stand in front of her and say something along the lines of “I told you so. Having such wishes on your own is a mistake in the first place.” And she would be perfectly correct.

“Usami Sumireko, are you listening?”

“A-ah!” Sumireko raised her head up as Mitsuru’s call brought her back to reality. She wanted to look right at Mitsuru to show that she was listening, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Without Renko backing her up, Mitsuru was too intimidating for her to do so.

“I see that you have been looking unwell lately. Would you rather take the day off?” Because it was Mitsuru that said it, Sumireko was not sure whether she meant it for her best interest. Sumireko looked at Sanae and Reimu, as if she wanted for them to answer for her. Sanae looked at her with her concern, while Reimu averted her eyes instead.

“I…” Sumireko paused. Her gaze was downcast. She could just step down for today, but that would probably mean that they wouldn’t be able to do today’s dive. After all, even if Reimu was here, entering with only two people would be too risky. They had all come here readying themselves for a dive. Chickening out now would ruin everyone else’s time.  
Not being able to help was bad enough - being actively a burden would be even worse.

“I’m fine, really.”

“We can postpone today’s dive if you need some rest-”

“I’ll be fine, Kirijo-senpai.”

Sumireko’s voice was unsteady as she said it. She could feel that neither Mitsuru nor Sanae would buy something like that. A long pause followed.

“...Alright. We already have come here, after all. As long as you keep your guard up and not do anything reckless again, this should be fine.” Mitsuru sounded unsure as she said it.  
Sumireko gripped her spear, trying to push down the darkness inside of her. In the coming hour she would have a much more real and immediate darkness to deal with.

X-X-X

“Bufu!”

Sumireko summoned Renko to freeze a Shadow that had managed to sneak up behind Sanae. It was a direct hit, but then Sumireko was jumped from behind by another blob-like Shadow. Its pseudopods squirmed as they latched onto her lower body. She desperately attempted to tear it away from herself to no avail, but then an arrow tore through its center, splattering black liquid in its wake. The blob disappeared, and a familiar voice called out to her.

“Are you alright, Usami-san?!”

“...I think so. Thanks, Sanae.”

Elsewhere, Reimu wiped out three Shadows at once in a burst of light.

“There are just so many here!” Sumireko screamed. Another Shadow dropped from the ceiling and lurched toward her, it’s surface rippling with malice. In desperation, she stomped and kicked on it before summoning Renko to bash it away. A gust of wind she felt passing by made her realize that Sanae had probably saved her from another Shadow. Even with all the training she’d done the past few days, Sumireko struggled to concentrate. She always failed to notice a Shadow’s advance until it was almost too late.

“Hakurei-senpai, what is even happening?” Sanae voiced. While she had started off today with excitement, her expression now showcased her exhaustion. She handled herself way better than Sumireko did, however.

“Beats me.” Reimu shrugged, both expression and voice calm. Her overwhelming presence was seemingly enough to disintegrate Shadows all on it’s own. Her Psyche danced around the narrow hallway, tearing through Shadows as if they were just bugs.

The gap between her and Sumireko couldn’t be wider.

Through cracks in the walls, windows, and doors, Shadows continued to pour out. It was like they had ended up in a nest of monsters. Without any directions, they could only make small amounts of progress, aimless as it was. What they hoped was for the Shadow attacks to eventually-

<"I have located the stairs to be on your left. Shadow concentration is low there, make haste.">

“Acknowledged.”

Reimu readied the sword she had borrowed from Marisa, and turned her attention to the side hallway where Mitsuru pointed them to. Sumireko’s attention followed suit. The dim lighting made it hard to see anything, however. She just had to trust that Mitsuru was correct.

“You two, make a run for it. I’ll make sure nothing chases after you two.”

Reimu had made her decision. In books and movies, this would be where Reimu would make a heroic last stand so Sumireko and Sanae could live for another day. But… that wouldn’t fit Reimu’s character at all. Just one look at her was enough to convince Sumireko to make a run for it.

An overwhelming force of nature like Reimu had no chance of dying against these Shadows.

What Reimu had said back then, that she would take the burden of SEES on herself, made more and more sense. Sumireko and Sanae were just in her way.  
Filled with thoughts of Reimu, Sumireko eventually reached the stairs. Her lungs and throat felt like they were burning from exhaustion. She hadn’t thought that she could run that fast. Her legs would probably give out the moment she left the Abyss.

Sanae appeared behind her not long after.

“These floors really are too hard…” Sitting near the stairs, Sanae’s breathing was unsteady. Seeing that, Sumireko leaned towards a nearby wall and sat down too as she gathered her breath.

“Have you dealt with anything like this before, Sanae?”

“No, nothing as bad as this.” Sanae looked upwards as she said it. Now that the stressful situation had passed, a smile formed on her face. “It’s a surprise, but now that I rest here, I think it’s a little exciting too, having such a large amount of enemies. Don’t you think so too, Usami-san?”

“Are you kidding me?” Sumireko responded incredulously.

Sanae went silent afterward. She averted her sight from Sumireko. That was unacceptable to Sumireko, the one that Sanae had to save several times already today. Why would she have fun in such a twisted situation? Her frustration was let out as words.

“How can you be so excited when something like this could easily kill us?” This was unfair, wasn’t it? Or, that was how Sumireko felt now. Maybe it was only fun for people that actually had the capability to shine inside of this Abyss. Not for a stranger to it like Sumireko, who couldn’t even fight inside it with her own power.

“...Ah. I should not have said that. I apologize, Usami.”

Somehow, the apology only made Sumireko’s mood worse. She was jealous of Sanae. She was such a nice girl, but even she could derive some enjoyment from these dives. Even before Sumireko had joined, Sanae was able to be close to the three seniors they had too. Maybe it was just in her nature to make friends so easily.

Such a life was unthinkable for Sumireko.

These really were such ugly thoughts to have. Reimu’s arrival not long after saved Sumireko from exploring them further.

“Hakurei-senpai!” Both juniors shouted as Sanae went to embrace Reimu and Sumireko struggled to even stand. Reimu’s current appearance lent a stark contrast between her and the other two. Reimu came to them with only minor scratches on her school uniform, with her skin visibly untouched as if it were made of steel, while Sanae and Sumireko were in worse condition with scratches and minor wounds all over.

“Are you two still in a condition to continue? One more floor, and we’ll call it a day..”

Sumireko saw Sanae nod in response to Reimu’s inquiry. She couldn’t bring herself to do anything but nod, following suit. Acknowledging them, Reimu continued to speak.

“You two have done a good job so far. Sanae, with this, I can confidently say that you have passed your training period. Even if you have not awakened Helen’s ability yet, you are more than capable of fending for yourself and your teammates in dangerous situations. And Usami…” Once more, Reimu couldn’t look Sumireko in the eyes.

“The result of your training has been showcased well today. I apologize. You are doing better than you think you are doing.”

Sumireko was unsure of how to take those words.

“Hold on, those injuries look bad,” Sanae said, giving Sumireko’s body a concerned glance. “Let me get you fixed up.”

“Alright,” Reimu said, turning away. “I’ll keep watch.”

After a while of Sanae tending to Sumireko’s wounds with bandages and antiseptic, Reimu stood up and walked towards the stairs. They wouldn’t have much time to stay idle, after all. The Dark Hour could end anytime, and staying inside the Abyss after the Dark Hour ended didn’t seem like a good idea at all.

“If you two have finished, let’s continue.” She said with a nod.

“Alright!” The two juniors answered in unison. With Reimu and Sanae’s renewed determination driving them, the three girls descended the stairs towards a new floor.  
The three of them had gone through several floors within this layer on the dive today. And the further they went down, the more bizarre the layout of the area became. At first it was just a messy, jumbled version of Gekkoukan with random things littered around, but it gradually became orderly in a way that Sumireko did not expect. The neon lamps on the ground, lockers, and doors attached to the ceiling, even the Shadows started to come from above at that point.

It was only then that they realized that everything on these lower floors was inverted. The weirdness of that only really dawned on Sumireko now, especially since before her mind was too occupied by her own issues and the swarm of Shadows hunting them at every step.

However, contrasting the previous floors, this one was strangely devoid of anything hostile. The floors were more brightly lit, but there was no life that could be detected. It was a little unnerving.

After a few turns, the three of them arrived in a large open area that immediately became familiar to Sumireko. It was Gekkoukan’s auditorium hall, only inverted. Sumireko remembered that the hall was supposed to be a separate building, but this layer of the Abyss didn’t entirely correlate to the actual school’s architecture in the first place. After all, it was more like a layered maze formed from various aspects of the school, or so Sumireko’s observation so far told her. As the auditorium hall was inverted, the three of them were now standing on its concave ceiling, as if they were walking through a crater.

“Something is off.” Reimu picked up her communication device. She voiced the thought floating on Sumireko’s mind as they walked towards the other side of the room.

“Do you really not detect anything strange, Mitsuru?”

<"There were no signs of usual shadows here, but…hold on, just for a little while.">

“Look carefully for something that’s out of the ordina-”

<"Watch out!">

Reimu reacted, snapping into motion before Sumireko could even begin to process Mitsuru’s words. She took two quick steps forward, her sword drawn and beginning to swing-  
Clang. The attack was too fast for her eyes to follow, but she clearly heard Reimu’s grunt of exertion. A blur of blue and purple careened away from where Reimu stood, her sword completing its swing.

Sanae was shouting something, readying her Evoker.

Sumireko was still stunned, trying to understand what had just happened. Something- something had just attacked them. Reimu had stopped it. And it was only then that she felt a presence. A much stronger presence than the Shadows they had faced in the previous floor. A new Shadow skidded to a halt at the very edge of the room, blocking the door opposite where the three girls had entered from. It slowly rose from its crouching position, breathing heavily. Unlike the earlier blobs of black liquid or the tiny fairies, this one held a human-sized, concrete form. It was a humanoid with a neon blue mask and a large, purple umbrella. A large, red malleable appendage stuck out from the umbrella in a way that resembled a tongue.

Sumireko froze, staring at the new Shadow. It was unnerving to see just how human it looked, it’s body trembling and shaking. She could feel its gaze drilling into her from hidden eyes. It was just standing there, waiting for them. All the other shadows had been mindless, had swarmed them the moment they had seen the humans. Why wasn’t it attacking...?

“We’ve identified a new type of Shadow,” Reimu spoke, Evoker in one hand and sword clutched firmly in the other. She fired without hesitation, summoning Psyche to her side. ”Undertaking extermination.”

The Shadow shuddered and convulsed, like something inside was trying to rip its way out. As if on cue, it let out a disturbingly human-like roar, ready to unleash its assault. Sumireko gripped her spear, steeling herself for a serious fight, palms sweating.

The umbrella rose first, its point facing them in a battle position. Like a puppet on strings, the Shadow followed, almost like the body was just an empty afterthought. It shuddered again before commencing a lunging attack, the umbrella rocketing forward like a jousting lance and the Shadow limply hanging onto its handle, waving like a flag. That must have been the attack that Reimu had deflected earlier.

Sanae and Reimu managed to dodge to the sides, but Sumireko was not as lucky. Taken by surprise, she didn’t move out of the way in time and was lightly grazed by it while mid-dodge, the force blowing her away a few feet. By the time Sumireko got a grip on her situation, all that she could feel from the left side of her body was pain. The Shadow skidded to a halt, umbrella turning in midair and opening to slow it down. It turned toward Sumireko, who could only respond with a wheeze of agony from her position on the ground.

“Garu!”

Taking the initiative to counter, Sanae fired off a wind blast to knock the Shadow away from Sumireko’s vulnerable position. It was followed almost immediately by Reimu’s needles, striking the Shadow right in its vulnerable humanoid body. The attacks staggered the Shadow momentarily, but they were too far away to follow up before it recovered and took flight, using what seemed to be an updraft pushing the umbrella upwards.

It was a sight that reminded Sumireko of an old movie involving a nanny with an umbrella, but any amusing thoughts left her mind the moment that the umbrella began to spin, creating and raining icicle shards as it freely glided above the three of them.

And she was right in the middle of the impact zone.

“Renko!” Sumireko fired her Evoker, ignoring the pain she currently experienced. The raining icicles slowed down to a crawl as Renko materialized. Sumireko had Renko by her side as she dragged herself away from the rain of projectiles. Three seconds passed. Unable to halt the flow of time for longer, Sumireko let go of her power. The icicles crashed into the ground, missing Sumireko by inches.

On the corner of her eyes, she saw that the other two had handled that attack with a lot more ease than her. Sanae simply blew through them with a well-placed blast of wind, while Reimu’s short teleportation allowed her to ignore it outright.

The Shadow closed the umbrella, dropping back down to the ground. It tilted its head to the side as if to taunt them, saying ‘Is that all you’ve got?’

It incensed Sumireko. She was sick of being so useless. Seeing the Shadow within melee range, Sumireko summoned Renko again to bash it in hope that she was able to knock it down. Yet, the Shadow managed to dodge the attack, lurching to the side. The distance between her and it was just too much for such physical attacks to be meaningful.  
But while it was off guard from its dodge, Sanae’s second blast of wind struck it squarely, sending it rocketing into the inverted chairs on the ‘ceiling’ with a crash.

“Usami-san, can you distract it while I take aim?” Sanae called, drawing her bow. “I don’t think my wind attack does much to harm it.”

Sumireko pulled out her Evoker and fired it without a single word in response to Sanae.

The Shadow dropped back to the floor, this time wasting no time in attempting to attack Sumireko in melee, swinging its umbrella wildly. Once again, she moved to dodge its attack and attempted to hit the Shadow with a bash while it was still recovering, but she was too predictable, like before. The Shadow dodged Renko’s harp, and the sound of what might be laughter seemed to come from behind its mask.

An arrow passed by, inches away from hitting the Shadow. Sumireko could see Sanae grumbling as she pulled another arrow from her quiver.

“Long-range assault doesn’t seem to be effective,” Reimu commented, eyes hard. “I’ll knock it down myself. Persona!” Reimu kicked off the ground, flying into the air with her Persona shadowing her movements from behind. The Shadow looked up as Reimu rose higher than it, swinging its umbrella at her like a club. Reimu shifted to the side, accelerating to close the space between them before the Shadow could reverse its motion and swing again.

With a quick motion, she arrested the Shadow’s umbrella by blocking it at the wrist, following up with a crushing chop to its elbow as Psyche dashed above them both in the same instant. The Shadow recoiled in pain, clutching its arm with its other hand. Reimu balled her free hand into a fist- Psyche spun as it executed a flawless ax kick-

The two attacks landed simultaneously, knocking the Shadow out of the sky with a cracking sound, sending it plummeting uncontrollably to the ground below sans umbrella.  
Reimu drew her needles and threw in one smooth motion while her Persona fired a single spear-like projectile down as well. The Shadow hit the ground hard enough to crack the ceiling’s plaster, and moments later its body was pinned to the ground by the needles, leaving it twitching in agony. As if to add insult to injury, then Sanae’s arrows pierced through it, one actually cracking it’s mask slightly.

With a scream of rage, the Shadow ripped itself free of the spikes, uncaring of how it tore its own body or the dark liquid leaking from it’s wounds. It outstretched its hand and the umbrella flew through the air to it.

Instead of attempting to attack Reimu, who was flying in closer to press her advantage, the umbrella Shadow turned to Sanae. It spun its umbrella in a strange way, creating and firing a large ice boulder at her. Being so close, there was no time to dodge, and the attack hit with dreadful force- sending Sanae sprawling as she went flying end over end, colliding with one of the room’s walls with a sickening crunch.

As the one closest to the Shadow now, it was up to Sumireko. Still bleeding from the earlier attack, Sumireko charged at the Shadow with her spear at the ready. Before it could fly again, or worse, finish off Sanae, Sumireko had to end the Shadow in one direct hit.

“Persona!”

The more of Renko she used, the more Sumireko’s vision blurred. But in her desperation, she ignored the feeling and fired her Evoker without hesitation. The flow of time began to slow down. She could see that the Shadow armed itself by using its umbrella as a makeshift sword, but there were a lot of weak spots for Sumireko to exploit during the slowed time. While it swung, it left its head and chest unguarded. Determination growing inside of her, Sumireko lunged…

Only for time to resume normally before the hit connected. The outstretched spear was swatted away by the Shadow’s umbrella. Sumireko could feel the metal bending from the force as she held tight to her weapon.

“Don’t go overboard, Usami!”

Reimu managed to reach Sanae with the help of her teleportation, locking her sword against the umbrella and deflecting it away. As Sumireko tried her best to keep the Shadow’s attention off of Reimu, she glimpsed what had happened with the other two. Even just from a glance, Sanae’s injuries didn’t look good. Reimu nodded to herself and brought out her Evoker.

And yet, the Shadow refused to relent in its attack even as Sumireko was distracted by the sight. It swung its umbrella around in an attempt to crush Sumireko, which Sumireko only dodged out of dumb luck, missing her by inches. Another blow came, and Sumireko turned around just in time as she attempted to parry using her bent spear.

But it was too much. The Shadow was too powerful, and the spear broke in two from the force. Sumireko was thrown to the side, feeling like she might have dislocated her shoulder a little due to stubbornly holding onto her weapon.

Sumireko herself found herself in a pinch. She attempted to stand, but the floor’s uneven shape tripped her. The Shadow was now looming above her, ready to finish her off. _Where was Reimu?_ She thought in a panic.

“Renko!”

Sumireko fired her Evoker in desperation, and time was halted once more. She let go of her Evoker, looking around for a way out, before grabbing what was left of her spear.  
_I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die._ Those words repeated inside Sumireko’s mind. Her teeth chattered and her hands shook. She was scared. She feared her own mortality as the Shadow stared at her from behind its mask. She could see clearly how a stylized XII was carved on it- such a strange thing to notice right now. Could she run away? She had no idea. Trying to run away would make her death even more certain.

Not being able to think further, Sumireko held the sharp tip of the spear tightly in her hand. She lunged forward with the last of her strength, striking for a point just behind its head- and drove it through the Shadow’s mask just as time returned to normal.

The shadow’s mask shattered as the spear pierced its head. Underneath the mask was nothing. A nothing that continued staring at Sumireko as it readied itself to swing its umbrella one last time.

She slumped back to the ground, having nothing left to give. It was the end.

Yet, after a moment that felt like an eternity, nothing actually happened.

More confused than elated, Sumireko raised her head. The Shadow was no longer in front of her. Something had driven it back, towards the wall.

And right next to her, a figure was floating, familiar yet strange at the same time. The faceless butterfly maiden, Psyche. Yet, the endless void of its visage was gone. What replaced it was an eerily human-like mask with the marking of VI visible on its forehead. Vines wrapped through its traditional shrine maiden dress, and three pairs of dragonfly-like wings grew from its back. It brought the image of a fairy from old storybooks.

“Dia.”

Soothing light enveloped Sumireko’s hurting body. Somehow, the wounds on her left side began to close themselves. Her vision returned to normal, and the pain she felt throughout her body disappeared bit by bit.

The Shadow stared at this fairy-like Persona with its nothingness of a face. It was heavily wounded itself, but it charged forward without any hint of care for its own well being.  
Psyche stood still. It let go of its current mask, and another formed immediately right after that bore the number VII- a pure red mask with anger in its expression. Bead-like ornaments replaced the vines throughout its body. As the Shadow came closer, Psyche instead manifested what looked like a long staff, and held it in its right arm - which looked like an actual arm rather than butterfly wings now.

The Shadow, uncaring of its own safety, left a massive hole in its defense as it swung wildly. In its mindless charge, Psyche had instead floated lightly above it, and using the staff it just manifested, it struck down on the Shadow’s head with a strong blow - strong enough that it cleaved the Shadow in two vertically with one swing.

Its body shuddered as it faded away into the darkness as the other Shadows had. The blue mask and the umbrella, now without an owner, fell to the floor with a clatter.

Sumireko stared in awe of what had just happened. Reimu appeared not long after, carrying an unconscious Sanae in her arms, bridal-style. No injuries were visible on her body. The two watched as Psyche turned away from the black puddle that was once the Shadow.

<"What just happened? The big Shadow suddenly ceased its movements!">

“I’ve taken care of it,” Reimu answered Mitsuru calmly as the buzzing of the comm was heard.

<"What about-">

“I will answer you when we return.”

Reimu shook her head and detached the device from her ears, pocketing it before she turned towards Sumireko. Sumireko stared at her helplessly, even as she gestured for Sumireko to stand up.

For once, Sumireko saw that Reimu was smiling.

That was unfair.

X-X-X

By what felt like a miracle, Sumireko didn’t pass out even after SEES left the Abyss. The moment Mitsuru saw her and Reimu carrying Sanae, she gave a look that demanded a lot of answers, however, neither her nor Reimu had any interest in providing them.

The moment Sumireko arrived in the dorm, she didn’t waste any time in going to bed and falling asleep. Today was too much.

And without her realizing it, she found herself already in the middle of a SEES breakfast meeting. A particularly heated moment was currently unfolding before her eyes.

“You say you can do what, Reimu?” Marisa looked at Reimu with disbelief. “Changing your Persona? Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“I’m not repeating myself again.” The loudness made Reimu scowl.

“But how?!” As Marisa sat right next to Reimu, she was within arm’s reach and shook her by the shoulder.

Reimu tried to shake Marisa off of her to no avail. “I wouldn’t know. I just can now.” She turned away to the side.

Right. Of course, everyone would be surprised that Reimu was able to perform such a miraculous act. The ability for her Persona to wield masks and change itself accordingly. It wasn’t quite like Doremy’s description of wielding multiple Personas at the same time, but it was as impressive.

All Sumireko could do was steal glances at Reimu while trying her best to look uninterested. She was glad that Reimu had saved her and Sanae, but as much as she tried to, she couldn’t dispel certain annoying thoughts that refused to leave her mind ever since three days ago.

The one being the center of attention now could’ve been her. If she hadn’t changed- because apparently she had somehow- that power could’ve been hers. It was jealousy, plain and simple. She was like a side character, burning with envy at the sight of the main character of the story being showered by well-deserved accolades. As much as she was aware that she was not worthy to wield this power, it still pained her.

But the fact that Reimu had wielded the power so well in the first place was why she had been saved from a certain death earlier. If Sumireko was the one to wield it, there was little to no guarantee that she would be able to use it as well as Reimu did.

“What should I do… Renko?”

Sumireko looked to her side. There was no one. It was the worst part of Renko. She always loved to disappear whenever Sumireko needed her the most. Because of course, no matter how cool she was, she wouldn’t have any answers that Sumireko didn’t already know in the first place.

The commotion before her continued as if she didn’t exist.

“Rei- no, Hakurei.” Mitsuru finally spoke. “This is a matter of utmost importance for us, and I would expect that you tell us everything about this new power you have obtained.”  
Reimu’s eyes narrowed. A moment of silence passed between the two.

“All that matters is that I can utilize this power. The how and the why of it doesn’t concern anyone here.”

“Hakurei, we have the right to know, especially about something this significant. Even for you, something like this is completely unprecedented. It is imperative for us to know more about everything surrounding your acquisition of this ability.” Mitsuru began to show that Reimu’s attitude had riled her. She stood up, keeping her gaze on the indifferent Reimu.

“I got it from a dream I had. There, it’s the answer you seek.”

“Senpai… that isn’t really a believable answer.” Sanae had been quiet for most of this discussion, but she stood up too, looking concerned. Sumireko only sighed.

“I know you can kinda be a pain, Reimu, but seriously?” Marisa followed suit, right after. Reimu remained unflinching in her desire not to elaborate further. And who could blame her? Even to Sumireko, it was still nonsensical. So for Reimu, who barely even had any context for the time she was taken into that train, there really wouldn’t be much else she could say about this.

“Last night was a disaster, so can we just talk about this later?” Sumireko complained under her breath in a hushed voice. She was getting sick of this. She had almost died last night, and even thinking about it still made her shiver. She just wanted this nonsense to stop as fast as possible so she could perhaps talk with Reimu.

However, it seemed that Mitsuru noticed what she said. “Indeed, it was with this power that she saved you and Sanae last night. However, that she only chose to reveal it at this time was part of why you two were in that situation in the first place.”

Sumireko internally yelped. “I...” Was there any way for her to escape this situation? She didn’t want to argue at all. She couldn’t stand Mitsuru gazing at her for too long. It made her feel even more insignificant than she already was. She scrambled for words inside of her mind and decided to speak without thinking about it further.

“I just can’t be bothered to care about however Hakurei-senpai got her power. So what? Did she get it from a dream? Dreams are already really weird, it just doesn’t matter at all how she got it from one. She’s so ridiculous already, suddenly getting this sort of power isn’t really that nonsensical, for her of all people.”

Sumireko stood up.

She was feeling sick of everything now.

“Hm… do you happen to perhaps know something about this that we didn’t, Usami?” Mitsuru remained calm, but her words pierced through Sumireko mercilessly.  
Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to answer. Her words had backfired. Perhaps she had said too much. She could feel that not only Mitsuru but everyone else was now looking at her. Waiting for what she would say next. She wanted to keep her gaze downcast. She couldn’t handle this situation at all. But instead, she turned towards Reimu, wanting her help.

For once, Reimu didn’t avert her gaze. “Stop it.” She sighed as she stood up. “Don’t drag Usami into this.”

“Hakurei-senpai…” Sumireko didn’t expect that to happen. She wanted for Reimu to cover for her, but she didn’t expect her to actually do it. Especially not after how much she had been avoiding her so far.

“I have no further words to say. I’m leaving.”

“Wait, Reimu!” Everyone yelled, but Reimu ignored them and walked out of the dorm.

The chaos subsided as Reimu left the scene. Feeling the tension easing up for once, Sumireko, with a lot of effort, brought herself to look at everyone’s faces. Sanae had a small frown. Marisa looked like she wanted to chase after Reimu right away, but didn’t know what to say. Mitsuru was very pained.

Sumireko’s gaze went toward the dorm’s door.

She didn’t feel like thinking for once. She made a decision. Ignoring everyone else, Sumireko stood up and followed Reimu’s footsteps as she left the dorm. Reimu avoiding her the past few days had only driven her more and more insane. Perhaps, talking to her could ease the painful thoughts haunting her since that fateful dream.

X-X-X

But of course, it was downright impossible for one to simply track Reimu when she didn’t want to be found.

It had been more than an hour of walking, and Sumireko didn’t see any sign of her anywhere on the nearby streets. She considered that maybe she would hang out on someone’s rooftops somewhere, but that would be something impossible for her to check. Ultimately, she gave up her chase, and instead went to a bookstore in the nearby strip mall instead to distract herself from her thoughts and failures.

“Hmm, the latest releases aren’t very interesting, are they?”

“...You only choose to appear now, of all times?” Sumireko grumbled as a certain familiar figure appeared next to her. Renko was as upbeat as always as she eyed the displays before her. Battle high school settings with male protagonists had been all the rage lately, it seemed. It wasn’t something Sumireko particularly cared about, but she enjoyed hearing Renko make her comments about each and every title that she came across on the shelves.

“Look at this, look at this! Isn’t this just self-insert porn?”

“...Yeah, no. That one is just too much. Let’s just ignore it.”

Sumireko’s eyes instead went towards the new releases section. A title took her attention. Red on black for its cover, with a distinctive singular eye serving as the main focal point of the cover’s design, setting it apart from the other light novels there design-wise. It was a cover design that Sumireko had become quite familiar with.

“There’s a new volume out already, huh.”

Sumireko checked her wallet and sighed in relief. There was enough for her to buy it. The next moment, she left the bookstore with a new book in tow and a marginally brighter expression than before.

At least, until she saw Reimu exiting the store moments after her, holding a full bag of various books that Renko had just mocked earlier.

“Hakurei-senpai… uh… I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Ah.”

Neither of them was ready to have this meeting. At least, Sumireko definitely wasn’t. Outside of the book store, the two awkwardly stared at each other for what might have been a full minute or so.

“...I suppose you’re neither Marisa nor Mitsuru.” Reimu shook her head before walking away. Was she still avoiding her? Sumireko, finally gathering herself after the surprise meeting, called out to her.

“Wait! Hakurei-senpai… I want to talk to you about something.”

Reimu stopped in her tracks. It was probably close to ten in the morning now. With what happened last night, Sumireko had an excuse to skip school today. Just so that she could talk with Reimu…

“If that is what you want, then alright.” Reimu did not turn around to look at Sumireko. “Follow me.”

Sumireko had no other option other than to do so.

Rather than a park bench or a secluded area, Reimu instead went towards a nearby sushi place.

“...Senpai, I don’t have much-”

“I’ll pay for you. Eat as you like.”

There was no reason for her to refuse, so Sumireko found herself a place to sit inside.

It had been a long time since she had been in one, but rotating sushi bars were truly convenient places. They were often crowded, but the whole place was loud enough that it felt like complete privacy was awarded to any conversation held within. If someone came along, they would sit at the counter with other strangers, but because Sumireko and Reimu were together they were led to a table in the corner. And they offered free hot tea at the table, as every table came equipped with a hot water dispenser and a container filled with green tea powder. Sumireko couldn’t complain.

The food itself was less expensive than Sumireko expected. It made sense, as this place was both targeted for students and families alike. But for a hundred yen a dish at the cheapest, Sumireko found it to be surprisingly tasty. And a variety of dishes would pass around on a conveyor belt, the short opportunity of time to decide whether to take a dish or not tempting people to overspend.

If Sumireko was the one paying, she knew she’d accidentally end up starving herself for the rest of the month just from how much she’d spend. Reimu embodied that sentiment even more than Sumireko herself. She ate ravenously as if everything was free and she had been starving for days. They hadn’t spoken a single word as Reimu conjured up a storm of sushi plates, but the silence incensed Sumireko a little.

“How often do you just leave the dorm-like this?”

“Perhaps a little too often,” Reimu answered with her mouth half full. “Mitsuru and Marisa are sometimes unbearable.”

“And back then, where would you-”

“I can sleep anywhere.”

Starting with small talk had been unsuccessful in setting up a conversation rhythm. The only solace Sumireko felt was that Reimu at least didn’t seem like she took any of those questions negatively. She decided to focus on eating for now.

“You are not here to just talk to me about menial things, aren’t you?”

“I…” Sumireko, who had just beginning to enjoy the egg roll that passed in front of her, was caught off-guard by Reimu. She took a moment to swallow her food with the help of a glass of iced tea before answering.

“Yes, I wanted to talk to you about something else.” Sumireko let out a heavy breath. She didn’t turn to face Reimu. “The Velvet Room, Doremy, it really was all real, huh. I really wished that it was all just a dream, but seeing what you did last night...”

“I don’t know much about that place myself, definitely less than you, but yes.” For once, Reimu stopped eating. “After that night, I have visited it a few times again after. But your host… Doremy, she was tight-lipped and cryptic. Annoyingly so.”

“Still… it felt nice, isn’t it? Wielding the power of the Wild Card or whatever it was. Being able to heal and doing all that…” Sumireko muttered, feeling envy rise up inside her.

“Usami.”

“But I can’t be mad about not being able to do it. You are Hakurei Reimu. That sort of privilege only belongs to someone as deserving of it as you.” She attempted to be polite but was overcome by her emotions.

“Usami.” Reimu cut her off, giving her a flat stare. “Your sentiment is showing.”

“O-oh... I’m sorry..” Sumireko was carried away by her own frustrations- she had let out more than she intended. What would she do now? “I… I just…”

“You know, I do wonder.” Reimu had her gaze on Sumireko. She couldn’t see it, as her own sight was downcast, but she could feel it. Reimu didn’t avert her sight from her. “Did Doremy tell you what the power of the Wild Card really entailed?”

“It’s… the power to be able to create and use new Personas, isn’t it? Like what you did last night, with the fairy and the-”

“That is part of it.” Reimu interrupted Sumireko before she could finish. “But that is merely the result, not what being a Wild Card actually is.”

“The Wild Card is the power for one to draw power from the bonds that one makes with others.”

“Bonds…?” What Doremy said made more and more sense. Of course, Sumireko wouldn’t be able to be someone that could form such bonds in the first place- not even to use them for her own benefit. She couldn’t even do that much. “That just means that Doremy really is justified in picking you, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely not.” Off the corner of her eyes, she could see Reimu shake her head. “On that angle, I would be even worse than you. The reason that Doremy chose me was due to something else, but as it was part of my contract, I am not in a position to tell you about it.”

“So why are you bringing this up, then? Are you just rubbing it in my face that I’ve changed from whoever I was in the past?”

“No.” Reimu’s blunt reply cut her off. “It’s because, even with that change, Doremy told me that she still had high hopes for you. Even without you being a Wild Card as she had hoped.”

Sumireko felt Reimu tap her shoulder. From Reimu, of all people, it was a warm gesture.

“You are her first choice. Despite circumstances barring you from wielding such power, there must be a reason for her to choose you.”

“No, that’s…” Sumireko stopped herself. Did Doremy pick her because she was expecting someone like Usami Renko? The cool, independent, and strong-headed Renko, rather than someone like Sumireko? It was what made more sense to Sumireko, after thinking about it for a moment. She couldn’t think of any sort of qualities from herself that would be appealing to Doremy.

But... no. In the end, that conclusion also made no sense.

Renko too was the exact opposite of the person that Doremy would want. She and Reimu were more alike than Sumireko was comfortable with.

“As a member of SEES, you have improved a good amount.” Reimu held on to her shoulders. Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

“Accepting you as part of SEES was not a mistake.”

…

Reimu said that with a smile. This was it, right? The moment Sumireko was supposed to be elated. To realize that she was seen as a part of SEES all along. How nice it was of Reimu to accept her for who she was, even if she was a complete failure. It was nice being able to say something like that, right?

Sumireko was angry.

The dark cloud of her worries remained within her eyes. She couldn’t bring her eyes to meet with Reimu’s, but her feelings were unmistakable. This was unfair. Reimu silenced anything that she could’ve said with those words. Words that could only be said by someone who had never worried about being an outcast, words that could only be said by someone who was born accepted, who was born special.

“...Who are you to say that, Hakurei-senpai?” All that emotion made manifest into one sentence. There were so many others that Sumireko wanted to say, but that was all she could manage. That was all she needed.

“Usami,” Reimu said quietly, but Sumireko was unable to listen.

More than anything, those words only made her angry with herself.

Of course, Reimu would say that. Just like Renko, she was an unattainable star, who could only look down at Sumireko, even without any malice intended. Because they were all so far up there, so distant… any sort of understanding was impossible.

Sumireko held her book close to her chest as she got up. She could feel the tears welling in the corner of her eyes. She didn’t care about her action causing a scene in the restaurant. Reimu’s hand which attempted to hold onto her was brushed aside.

Overcome by a maelstrom of emotions, Sumireko left. She couldn’t just continue like this anymore. She had no idea what should change, what should she do, but enough was enough. She was angry. She was crying.

Ah, if only she could understand.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for being late in this update.


	13. Chapter 9: Beyond that Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Light descriptions for imaginary violent deaths.

X-X-X

### Chapter 9: Beyond that Door

X-X-X

_Sunday, 26th of April, 2009  
Iwatodai Dormitory  
11.12_

“Oi Sumi, is everything alright?”

It was close to noon. As Sumireko descended to the living room, Marisa’s voice greeted her. There was no one else down there and no signs of Reimu having returned to the dorm yet.

“I’m fine, Kirisame-senpai." Sumireko decided to lie. "Where are the others?”

“Mitsuru’s with Ikutsuki right now, probably discussing the new findings from Friday’s dive. As for Sanae…” Marisa paused for a moment. “She has a study group session with her friends. You probably can find her at Paulownia Mall if you want to talk to her.”

“...No thanks, I’m good.” Sanae’s positivity was the last thing Sumireko needed in her current mood. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Marisa was currently watching the television. News of the current economic recession was currently airing. Sumireko decided to tune out what the newscaster said as she walked towards the kitchen.

“The soup on the table is already cold. Want me to make you something?”

“Cold soup’s not that bad. And it’s not like you can cook anyway, Kirisame-senpai,” Sumireko said as she found herself a seat on the dining table. As she opened the tray at the center of the table, she saw that Marisa was right. Only some leftover fried fish and cold soup were left, as well as a bit of rice that was already cold too. She wondered if she should maybe accept Marisa’s offer. But remembering that one time Marisa only served her coffee after promising to cook breakfast for her made her immediately push that thought away.

And she was already very hungry too.

“Sanae already taught me how to make fried rice, you know?” Marisa was persistent today.

“By that, you mean coffee-flavored fried rice?”

"..."

That hit the mark. Marisa did not return with a comeback to it and Sumireko could now eat her breakfast in peace.

It tasted awful.

Still pretending like everything was fine, she left the kitchen. Marisa was still in the living room. What was on the TV now was a documentary about contemporary space programs.  
Sumireko decided to return to her room while Marisa was still occupied with it. However, when she reached the stairs, Marisa’s voice stopped her.

“You haven’t left your room since you returned yesterday. Are you sure everything’s alright?”

Sumireko paused. She wanted to return to her room, but she couldn’t bring herself to continue. She did lock herself in her room for almost the whole day yesterday, after all. She couldn’t bring herself to even read the book she had bought. Browsing the internet, continuing to post on her forum, let alone writing for Renko and Merry was too much for her to handle. All she did was lie on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Not even Renko came to talk to her.

But should she say all that to Marisa?

“Please leave me alone.” Sumireko eventually decided on an answer, but her tone was unsure. While she couldn’t bring herself to talk to anyone right now, the idea of continuing to not do anything also sickened her at this point. Sumireko took a step forward before stopping again. She wanted Marisa to reply before she turned.

“About yesterday…” Marisa spoke but abruptly stopped, as if she was fumbling on her wording choices. “No, nevermind that. I know something better. Do you want to go out with me for a bit? I’ll treat you to something.”

And Marisa went straight for her weak point. Instinctively, Sumireko thought of refusing, but the aching in her stomach said otherwise. However, eagerly answering yes didn’t seem like a good option either. After all, it would mean spending the day with Marisa. She didn’t know if she had the energy for that right now. She scrambled for how to answer for a while before she just gave in and blurted out whatever.

“Is this supposed to be a date invitation?”

“You sound like Sanae with that.” Marisa let out a bit of laughter. “Well, a date doesn’t have to be romantic, does it? It’ll be a fun time, I promise.”

“...If you say so.”

X-X-X

“For someone so hesitant about coming with me, you really eat a lot.”

On the streets of Iwatodai, Marisa and Sumireko walked leisurely. This “date” of theirs so far pretty much consisted of them going from one street vendor to another, with Marisa paying for whatever Sumireko bought. For all intents and purposes, it was a peaceful Sunday.

“A-ah? No, I didn’t-”.

“No, it’s fine. You haven’t eaten since yesterday, after all. I was just surprised.” Marisa laughed. The two of them were now at a bus stop near the city’s famed Moonlight Bridge that connected Iwatodai with the artificial Tatsumi Port Island. For some reason, seeing the bridge this close made Sumireko’s stomach churn.

“Where are we going next?”

“Well, there’s a new aquarium complex that opened recently near the port. I’ve been wanting to go there myself, but it’s nicer to go with someone else there, isn’t it?”

“...An aquarium, huh.” Sumireko had never even heard of one existing in this city. Maybe it was because she didn’t talk much to others in the first place, but it was still surprising to hear it nevertheless. But… that could be nice, going there. “Sure, if that’s where you want me to go, senpai.”

The trip to the aquarium was spent in silence. Marisa didn’t push her to talk as much as Sumireko expected, and truthfully, she was fine with it. And, even if Sumireko didn’t exactly talk much during this “date” with Marisa, just spending her time with someone else put her mind at ease, even a little bit.

“Is this the first time you’ve come to one?”

“My aunt once took me to the one in Tokyo. There’s nothing like this back in Kyoto though, so this is still a novel experience for me.”

The inside of the aquarium complex was certainly smaller, but there were less people because of that, so it was a win-win for Sumireko. Marisa took her from one display to another. The ease in which she was doing it made it seem like she had done it a lot to other people. Either she worked part time as a guide here, or she had taken many other girls with her here.

“They’re cute…” Sumireko stuck her gaze on a jellyfish display in a corner. Seeing the stringy creatures just floating around, vibrating as they moved their entire body lazily in the water tank was mesmerizing.

“A dolphin show is going to start soon. You want to check it out?” Marisa extended her hand towards Sumireko. Sumireko didn’t feel like she wanted to answer her with anything, but she grasped her hand and let Marisa take her instead. This sequence of events was a little bit familiar, but the dolphin show ended up taking her attention. Out of mostly her own insistence, Sumireko got Marisa to get the two of them seats that were furthest away from the splash zone.

“Look at how that dolphin eats! Doesn’t it remind you of someone?” Marisa smiled.

“Yeah, that reminds me of Hakurei-senpai a lot.” Sumireko stifled her giggles, looking around. Reimu at least didn’t seem to be around, but she couldn’t discount the possibility that she was somewhere in the middle of this crowd.

“That’s just Reimu, yeah. Always a pain to handle… but it’s also kinda cute too somehow.”

...Cute wasn’t how Sumireko would describe anything that Reimu usually did, but she kept quiet as the dolphin show continued. For once, her mood was uplifted. Marisa really had the sort of charm that made her lower her guard, even by a little.

In this tranquility, Sumireko refrained from saying anything else as to not ruin the mood.

X-X-X

“How often do you date someone, senpai?”

“B-bwuh! What’s with that question out of nowhere?”

Resting in a cafe inside the aquarium complex, Sumireko asked Marisa a question on a whim. Marisa, who was enjoying her avocado juice, almost spat out her drink in surprise.

“A bit too often, I guess.” Marisa sighed. “Don’t tell anyone, but Sanae’s right. I’m not good at making lasting relationships.”

“So is the one doing the dumping usually you or the other side?”

“That’s… no, I can’t just answer something like that, you know?” Marisa looked a little bugged. “It’s more that… well, nevermind that. I had a lot of attempts to get a girlfriend for myself, but maybe they ultimately don’t find me to their liking.”

“...Girlfriends, huh. You’re admitting it so openly, senpai.”

“I feel better to wear my heart on my sleeve, if that’s the right word for it.” Marisa didn’t skip a beat. She was smiling at Sumireko. Her confidence, rather than enviable, felt scary to Sumireko instead. Although, maybe if Marisa was so open about it, she could-

Nah, it was best not to. Either way, Marisa wasn’t exactly the kind of person that Sumireko could ever see getting in a relationship with, but now she could understand why Marisa was able to get close to so many other people. Spending time with someone like her was surprisingly very pleasant. It didn’t feel like she was older than her, for one. It was no wonder how even someone like Sanae could be so close to her.

“So, are you in a relationship right now, senpai?”

“Not exactly, no. Are you interested in me? I’m not available every day, you know?” Marisa looked at her with an overly exaggerated teasing look. It was an obvious joke, but Sumireko went along with it a little bit.

“...No, I’m not. Is this how you usually go during your dates?”

“Ahah… not really. I’m not that inconsiderate, Sumi.” Surprisingly, Marisa’s smile disappeared. She didn’t seem like she was angry at Sumi or anything, but it caught Sumireko by surprise. “I mean, I'm not here to ask you to get together with me or anything. I took you here as an apology on my end.”

“...Eh?”

“For yesterday. We went too far about that whole stuff with Reimu, and even dragged you into it. I got too into arguing, embarrassingly so. It’s as if I was being jealous of her.  
Whether I felt that way or not, letting Mitsuru drag you into the argument was just too far. Sorry for that.”

Being reminded of what had happened sunk Sumireko’s mood a little. But at the same time, getting an apology was surprisingly pleasant. “You don’t have to go this far just for an apology, but thanks.”

“And I know you’ve been feeling pretty bad the past few days, Sumi. Seeing you yesterday, coming back home after chasing Reimu while looking like you are on the verge of crying - you’ve been like that for a while. Like, Wednesday morning, I saw you coming down for breakfast with your eyes red.”

And the mood shifted further. Sumireko's stare locked itself on Marisa. She could feel her hands shaking a little under the table. There were no words that Sumireko could say to that, being exposed thoroughly like that. She didn’t even know what to think, or what to feel. “Are the others… do they know about this too?”

“We never really talked about it with each other, but it’d be a surprise if they didn’t notice.” Marisa leaned on her chair, looking wistful. “But you know, at least for me, I can’t stand seeing someone I’m close with struggling with something while I’m just sitting here, unable to do anything. That's why I took you here. Again, sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries.”

“...No, I think this is fine.”

Sumireko paused. Why did she say that? Marisa had just revealed that she had noticed her struggles that she had tried to hide the past few days, so why did she just accept it so easily? There was no feeling of worry, nothing at all. Sumireko tried to see anything within Marisa's gaze, but she couldn't see anything worrying. That fact alone only made her more worried about what was going to happen.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen, but it’s fine if you don’t want to, either.”

The ball was now in Sumireko’s court. Everything inside of her felt like it was saying to just be silent. Marisa wasn’t Reimu, and with how bad talking with Reimu went yesterday, just opening herself up so recklessly might not even help at all. But it was tempting. Unlike with Ren- Reimu, Marisa was someone who would listen.

In the end, she decided to leave her fate to chance and move forward, following the flow of the conversation.

“The Abyss isn’t fun.”

‘Hm? Would you mind elaborating, Sumi?” Marisa leaned closer, looking curious and concerned.

“Well, of course, it’s not like everyone’s doing this because it’s fun in the first place, I understand that...” Sumireko felt compelled to explain herself. “But when I go down into the Abyss, I’m not very strong, I mess up all the time, and I’m scared of dying, especially after last time.”

“Yeah, that is quite norm-”

“Yes, I thought that was normal since we’re doing something dangerous and unknown.” Sumireko’s hands formed into fists. Their shaking became more and more noticeable. “But then I look at you three and you’re all so relaxed! We’re a supernatural investigation team but you all treat it like it’s a field trip all the time! You’re so eager to go down even when you’re injured, Sanae looked like a battle maniac while she was down there, and even Reimu actually looked like she was actually into it, somehow. You make it seem fun and I just don’t know how to feel that way. What should I do?”

“That’s…” Marisa let out a long sigh. “Well, can’t really say I figured out the answer to that, either. Sorry, Sumi. Still, maybe speaking a bit from experience can help?”  
Sumireko, who was overwhelmed by how much she had said in a short time, could only look at Marisa as she continued.

“Well, Shadows are dangerous. I’ve fought them alongside Reimu since we’re still in middle school, so that’s something I know very well. I’d love to say that I got used to it… but I really didn’t, you know? I’m not Reimu. Even now, I still get scared, here and there.” Marisa shook her head with a smile. Her expression was as if she was fondly reminiscing about something in her past. Sumireko wondered what was on her mind at the time. “But I mean, even if it’s scary, I still gotta fight. So I had to figure out something. Like try approaching it from some other angle.”

“How can you even do that?”

“I don’t really know. I started with SEES because Reimu and Mitsuru are my friends, but I guess the reason why I keep fighting is that I feel like SEES gives me a purpose going forward. That all this means that me, a normal high school student, can actually make a difference in this world. It’s a comforting thought.” Marisa looked like she was about to laugh, but she stifled it. “Well, all that goes out of the window once a Shadow actually attacks you though. At that point, it’s a life and death situation rather than anything grander.”  
Sumireko paused. Why did she choose to fight, anyway? She thought more about it as Marisa gave her some room to think. All that she could focus on was how she wanted to be special, like Reimu or Renko, separating herself from the masses. But that wasn’t all there was to it, right?

She remembered the sight of Sanae, inches away from death on that night atop the dorm. She remembered her own frustration about her inability to actually contribute to SEES.

“At least... I think, if I were to risk my life, I’ll do it for everyone here in SEES. If I see things that way, I feel like I can find the whole deal a tiny bit less scary. Because even if we have to plunge into the depths of hell itself, I can do it accompanying those that I care for.” Marisa said.

“...You’re making it all sound very cheesy, senpai.” Yet, Sumireko couldn’t help but smile. Even with the questionable choice of wording, Marisa’s positivity was infectious.

“Hard to dance around the fact that SEES comes with a death risk, in the end.” Marisa’s expression lightened, perhaps as a response to Sumireko’s own smile. “Sorry if this doesn’t help much.”

“No, this is fine.” Sumireko finally noticed her smoothie. The ice cream cap on top had melted. Was she that engrossed in this talk to not notice? “This does give me some things to think over.”

“After this, you want to accompany me to look for Reimu?”

“...Yeah no. I’ll return to the dorm instead.” Sumireko shook her head, but then let out a little giggle. “Thanks for this, senpai.”

They didn’t spend much longer at their aquarium date. As they returned to the dorm, Marisa was more confident in telling Sumireko some of her lame jokes, and Sumireko could actually giggle at them this time.

There was still a lot of things on her mind, but for once, Sumireko didn’t worry about them as much anymore.

X-X-X

As she was feeling uplifted, the first thing she did was to enjoy the book she bought yesterday. The date with Marisa earlier left her with a good enough mood to start reading it, and without realizing it, hours had passed by and it was already dark outside.

“Aaah, as expected, _Blind Eye_ continues to be an enthralling read.”

Sumireko collapsed onto the bed and exhaled a satisfied sigh, holding the book in question tightly to her chest. She had bought it yesterday, and it did not disappoint her one bit. The plot was tight and engaging and each chapter kept her on her toes.

“How can Irota-sensei manage to keep pumping out this sort of quality?”

Irota Meiko, or Irota-S as they were better known in Sumireko’s online circle, was the only recent author that she had decided to follow. It started out on a whim, from a random suggestion she was one day bored enough to check, but now she almost religiously followed their works. They weren’t what Sumireko would call a mainstream writer, so that was also a plus. Though, that was also part of why Sumireko didn’t tend to talk much about her interest in their stories, not that Sumireko had anyone to talk about them to anyway.

Though, there was one thing that Sumireko couldn't bring herself to enjoy about Irota’s work. They had a tendency to kill off their characters. While Sumireko could respect that a lot of the time they didn’t do it to only create shock, it was always hard to read those parts so Sumireko tended to just skip ahead. One of her favorite characters died in this volume. Even if she knew that it was important for the plot that she died, Sumireko would rather see that character alive. Even if that would lower the quality of the work itself.

Sumireko gazed at the night sky and the night life of the city from her window. As the emotional outflow from having just finished a book she liked passed from her, Sumireko’s mind went towards something that had been nagging on her whenever she read this book.

“The protagonist… she is just like me.”

A lonely girl that shunned human connection. Unable to form friendships, pushing away other people from her life- not unlike a hedgehog. It was not like her aversion to forming human bonds was unwarranted either. Sumireko sympathized with her situation. Perhaps a little too much.

And just like her, the girl found herself struggling in a life and death situation quite similar to Sumireko’s own circumstances now. One mis-step, and she would die. She was not anyone special, and yet she had to survive within such an inhuman machination of a plot.

Sumireko shuddered as she thought of it.

Death.

What separated the two of them was the protagonist’s calmness in facing death. She had accepted that she could die any time, and yet she was not paralyzed from that realization. She had the strength to actually do something about her situation. Even if she often showed that she was scared, how worried she was about her own safety, ultimately she always managed to find the strength to face the danger ahead.

But to Sumireko, that was inconceivable. It wasn’t something she could do. The book showcased in vivid details all the emotions Sumireko faced as she faced certain death, but how could the protagonist manage to do something that she couldn’t? Vivid visions of her manifested fears filled her mind.

Disembowelment. In vivid detail, Sumireko remembered. Had Reimu been a second too late, the Shadow’s umbrella would’ve penetrated through her body. She saw herself lying in a pool of her own blood as the Shadow pulled out its weapon, alongside what was left of her own guts.

She saw herself being torn apart, limb to limb, by the shapeless blobs that littered the Abyss on her first dive.

She saw herself being turned into a bloody pincushion alongside Sanae during her battle on the rooftop. She saw herself being thrown around like a ragdoll, her bones completely crushed.

She saw the mangled remains of her body in the alleyway the very first night she came to Iwatodai.

She saw herself underneath debris of metal and rubber and fire, dying alongside the rest of her family in the car crash ten years ago.

All of these visions would be the sort of things that the protagonist would have to struggle with too, but she managed to move forward regardless. Was this just because she was a fictional character? Sumireko felt like she was associating herself too heavily with the protagonist, but this was ultimately the breaking point where she couldn’t continue doing so.  
Even after Sumireko joined SEES, death continued to haunt her. And it wasn’t like Sumireko could just quit either. She had to accept that it would be a part of her daily life. And unlike Marisa, who found a reason for her to fight on despite of everything…

What did the protagonist do differently from her?

What separated Marisa from Sumireko?

Was it really all about how she approached this issue in the first place? The protagonist fought on for the sake of her blind older sister, even if she was estranged from her. Marisa fought for everyone else in SEES. And for Sumireko… she fought just because she wanted to be special.

No, not even that. Standing here, Sumireko realized that she didn’t actually care that much about SEES and their goals, other than that faint feeling of wanting to be something in it.  
All that she could think of was to spend more time together with Merry through her own writing. That was the sort of life that Renko wanted her to live in. That was what Renko told her, something that would make her happy. There was no need for any desire to be anything more. No need for any desire to connect with others, because they would only hurt her eventually. That was the secret to happiness.

But it didn’t seem like it was working. Sumireko wasn’t happy now, even if she had written about Maribel for so long, with all the time she needed to spend with her. Her own story was progressing at a decent pace, and there was a comfortable distance between her and everyone else. Why couldn’t she feel satisfied with that?

As much as she didn’t want to remember it at this time, the image of Marisa’s smile earlier invaded her mind.

Maybe, it was because ultimately, she really was lonely. She had convinced herself that she only needed Renko and Merry in her life, but ultimately that was just nonsense.  
Sanae, Reimu, Marisa… and even Mitsuru. All of them really did want her to be in SEES. They had many faults to them, but yet they were all so, so very interesting. She couldn’t stand being left out of the group like she was. They were special in a way different from their own abilities to use a Persona. Sure, she was already a part of SEES, but somehow, this nebulous connection between her and the others was so much more lonely than simply not having any connection with them at all.

Was this why Marisa dedicated herself to fight for their sake?

She wanted to be of use to them. She wanted to find a meaning for why she was in SEES in the first place, and she wanted to stand equal beside them. She wanted to be friends with them.

“I left you for a while, and this is the sort of conclusion you come to? You really can’t do anything without me, Sumireko.”

The chair near her desk turned. Sitting atop of it was Usami Renko, looking at her with her judging eyes. She looked as if she was disappointed.

“You know better than anyone that this won’t really solve anything. You’ll try, and you’ll get hurt, and you’ll retreat back to me. It’s for the best that you don’t even try doing anything silly.”

“Even so-”

“Countless times you tried to open yourselves to others. Don’t you remember your years in middle school?

Don’t you remember how your classmates pretended to care for you, only to turn you into their laughingstock behind your back? You are always so naive, and that’s why people keep using you. You’re not strong enough to face the outside world, Sumireko. That’s why I’m here to protect you from it.”

Renko stood up from her chair. Without her hat, without the ribbon in her hair, it was unmistakable that she was the spitting image of Sumireko herself. Her more mature expression sent a sharp gaze towards Sumireko.

“I’m doing this for your sake. For you, who can’t do anything, I’ll be the one that shoulders your burdens.”

Renko’s voice carried a pressure to it. It was firm. It was like a mother scolding her child. But Sumireko knew that Renko said it out of her kindness and consideration. She just didn’t want Sumireko to get hurt.

But yet, that voice was at its most distant to Sumireko now.

“I can’t accept this.” Sumireko spoke up. “I can’t be happy if I continue going like this. I’ll continue living in fear that I might die, I’ll continue doing all these things with SEES without feeling like I’m actually achieving anything.”

“Your only value to them is that you’re yet another Persona User that they can utilize. With your abysmal contribution so far, why would they care about you?”

“They are not like that, Renko.” When was the last time she spoke up against Renko? Sumireko locked her gaze to Renko’s own. She found it difficult to think properly right now, but at the same time, somehow it made her own voice more firm. “I don’t know why, but I’m sure this time will be different.”

“That’s the exact sort of naivety that I’m talking about, Sumireko.” A hint of irritation was visible on Renko’s face. “You expect them to always support you, to always have your back, when you can’t even do anything in return. It won’t take long before their kindness turns into scorn.”

“But… they are all so interesting, Renko. I don’t know how, but I’m sure I can make it work out.” Sumireko moved to the edge of her bed. “I’m willing to push myself to get closer to them, to learn more about them somehow. And with that, don’t you think I’ll be able to get somewhere?”

“To an early grave, yes.”

Sumireko flinched. She couldn’t say anything against that. Renko was now in front of Sumireko. Her hand lifted Sumireko’s chin gently. For a moment, Sumireko saw her smiling.

“You don’t need meaning. You don’t need to think about your future. Such things are only for people that have the privilege to dream.”

Renko leaned closer, as if she went for a kiss, but Sumireko instinctively pushed her away. For once, she didn’t want to accept what Renko said to her.

It was true, she already had Renko. She was the perfect person to guide her through everything. She too, already had Merry, the perfect lover that she could all hoped for.

And Sumireko herself was worthless compared to those two.

In SEES too, she was surrounded by people way more amazing than her. Mitsuru was the heir to one of Japan’s largest companies, and she shone brilliantly in every aspect of her school life. Sanae was the school’s idol. Everyone adored her, and Sumireko getting close to her itself would be seen like a miracle for some people. Marisa was like a warm light that touched the hearts of people around her with her constant positivity.

And Reimu, she was the _impossibility_ that Sumireko forged Renko out of. The ever-distant wish of what sort of person she wanted to eventually become. Reimu was a brilliant star. And that star was too distant for her to reach out to.

...

But for once, she was fine with that thought.

“I… I don’t want any of that!”

She had been overthinking all this.

Sumireko didn’t realize that she had raised her voice. She took control of herself away from Renko and gave it to the Usami Sumireko who had been hiding under her shadow all this time.

"...Pardon?"

“I... I don't want to stay as I am right now, Renko. I want to be friends with them. I want to be able to trust Mitsuru. I don’t want to just keep being scared of her all the time when I know that she wants the best for me. I want Marisa to crack jokes at my expense and tease me like she teased everyone else. I want to hang out with Sanae without feeling like I’m just being a nuisance at her side. And… I want to talk to Reimu more and more, like people close to each other.”

“And you think you can achieve that, because?” Renko shook her head in disapproval.

“Because...I don’t know! But I just want to be happy here, just like everyone else. They’re all so great, so wonderful, and so...so insane! I’m sick of thinking too much! Why can’t I just enjoy SEES like they do? They all have their own reasons to be here, so I want to find mine too!”

Sumireko felt like she was operating on autopilot now. Her heart had taken over her brain. She couldn’t stop, and wouldn’t stop.

“Think, Sumireko! Think about how many ways this will inevitably go wrong. How badly do you want to made fun of again this time?”

“... No, I won’t think. I have to stop thinking. The only thing hindering me is that I’m thinking about this so much. This time I want to succeed. Is it so unreasonable for me to ask for that? I can’t stand my situation. Even someone that cannot dream like me still deserves to be happy, right? I don’t care about Doremy’s stupid special power. I don’t see any point in trying to play detective right now. Is life so unfair that I have to live the rest of my life in misery?” Sumireko struggled to catch her breath, her throat felt dry. But she still had so much more to say to Renko. Sumireko had thought that she wanted to be exactly like her, but ultimately that was too far away for her to achieve.

The solitary star, Usami Renko.

It was just too far away to reach, but in the first place, perhaps someone like Sumireko, whose heart fluttered just by having a normal conversation with other people, wasn’t really all that suited for that sort of life.

“I understand that I need to improve myself, and to reach out to people more. I have to stop thinking it won’t go well, even if that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” Sumireko stopped herself. She was letting that thought come back again. “I just have to start trying again. I’m not hopeless, I can still do something.”

Sumireko stood up. She stared at Renko without saying anything else. She wanted her to know that this time, what she felt wasn’t just something born out of her whims. Sumireko realized that the road ahead would be difficult. She knew that maybe Renko was right. But not trying would mean that she had surrendered herself to live this sort of life for the rest of her insignificant time in this world.

Moments passed. It felt like time itself slowed down, and each second became an eternity. And such eternities passed before finally Renko spoke up, shaking her head in wonder.

“Do as you will. I’m skeptical that this will go well, but if you’re this insistent, then I won’t be able to do anything anyway.” Renko took a long breath before smiling at Sumireko. This time, it was a little more genuine than the smile she had before. “Maybe you can try finding Marisa or something. The earlier you fumble, the better.”

“I’ll see what I can do, then.” Sumireko returned the smile, and walked away towards the door of her room, before turning around one last time to see Renko.. “Wish me luck.”

“Hmph.”

The smile returned once more into a frown. In front of Sumireko, Renko’s figure disappears into the darkness of the night. That was it, then. Sumireko nodded and left her room. Renko would always be watching over here, in the end. Sumireko vowed within herself to achieve something that would make even Renko proud of her.

“I’ll count that as a yes, Renko.”

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for being late! Also, starting next chapter, I am thinking of putting a more detailed notes on each chapter, explaining some of the choices as well as showcasing general tidbits of the story.
> 
> I hope the story is still enjoyable to you all!


	14. Chapter 10: What I Truly Desired

X-X-X

### Chapter 10: What I Truly Desired

X-X-X

_Wednesday, 29th of April, 2009  
Iwatodai City Park  
00.00 _

Three days had passed.

Despite what Renko had said, Sumireko’s attempts to get closer to others in SEES so far hadn’t exactly ended in total failure. But at the same time, barely anything had changed between her and the others. She hung out with Marisa, talked a little bit more with Sanae, but she didn’t really feel like she was getting closer to either in much of a meaningful way. All of that ended with her just following their flow, unable to initiate anything on her own. She was still an outsider in their lives.

It was frustrating, but it wasn’t like she could give up either. After going so far to oppose Renko, just accepting her defeat here didn’t feel right. She had probably done something wrong in her approach so far.

And that was why she was now with Sanae, patrolling the city during the Dark Hour. Reimu was still absent, and despite both of them being new, Mitsuru had decided to send the two of them out anyway. Walking around town with their weapons out during the Dark Hour was always a surreal experience. Her new spear in hand, Sumireko followed after Sanae as they strolled. There were a few Shadows here and there as they passed through the city, but they were nothing like the ferocious ones the two saw in the depths of the Abyss last time.

“Bufu!”

Icicles speared a fuzzball-like Shadow in mid-air, suspending its motion moments before it expired. Pulling down the Evoker from her head, Sumireko brought forward her replacement spear as she prepared for the rest of the Shadows, but two wind blasts that came from behind had torn two other fuzzball-like Shadows before Sumireko could do anything.

<"To your left, Usami!">

Sumireko turned around just in time as a fairy entered her range. It began spreading its projectiles around. Sumireko brought up her Evoker, and shot it with another icicle. However, it remained strong. Caught off-guard by its resilience, Sumireko ended up narrowly grazing some of its projectiles, which left burn marks on her uniform.

“Renko!”

Time slowed down. After so many times overusing Renko, Sumireko finally realized just how much of a stamina drain her time slow was for extended use. Nevertheless, Sumireko had to rely on her power again as she weaved through the fairy’s projectiles. Everything was going so slowly, it felt like she had actually stopped time itself instead.  
Before long, she got herself into position. She turned around to strike the fairy, but she saw a glint of metal coming from the corner of her eyes. The only object moving at a normal pace in this halted world. An arrow, shot while powered by a spell.

In a panic, Sumireko moved out of the way. Time resumed its normal flow, and the powered arrow tore through the fairy as if it was nothing. The one who fired the arrow was Sanae, and as Sumireko looked at her, the black sludge remaining from what might have been other fairies were visible behind her.

<"Alright, nothing else in the area. Good job.">

“Usami-san, you handled yourself better than before. I’m glad to see it.”

“...It’s still nothing when compared to you, though.” Sumireko sheepishly answered, unsure of how else to take that compliment. For once, she did actually feel that she had a better handle on dealing with these Shadows, but part of her insisted that it was just because these Shadows were way weaker than the ones from their last dive.

Moreover, the way Sanae dealt with the Shadows so far had been so impressive, it was hard to believe that she was anywhere as new as everyone said. She didn’t even know Sanae could do tricks such as powering her own shots with Garu. Had she always been like this? Without Reimu and Marisa around, Sanae really shone. For someone that had only been doing this for a few months, Sanae was quite skilled in a way that was close to their seniors.

They passed through a park. There was barely anyone there, but amidst the few coffins, Sumireko could see several blob-type Shadows lurking around. However, Sanae was the one to react first to them. Before Sumireko could even fire a Bufu, one already fell to Sanae’s arrows. This prompted the rest to attack the two.

“Renko!”

Sumireko didn’t want to just get shown up by Sanae. She had started to feel tired, but she summoned Renko regardless.

Time slowed down. Sumireko split herself from Sanae, her attention on a blob Shadow coming on her left. Disposing of it was easy, just two well-placed slashes downed it without any problem. Its clawed arms attempted to reach her, but with how slow its movements were, avoiding it was simple. As Renko’s ability wore off, Sumireko was already in a better position, with the Shadow she attacked shriveling into a pile of goo.

<"Keep going, you two.">

Sumireko only nodded in response. Another Shadow that approached her from behind was skewered by Renko’s icicles as soon as it entered her range. Sumireko turned around, hoping that her show of force so far was significant. However, before her very eyes, Sanae methodically made short work of the rest. She exchanged between her bow and Evoker with ease, and she was agile on her feet, constantly on the move when she was not attacking to make sure the Shadows would not put her in a disadvantageous position before her own turn to attack hit.

As the final one of the group was torn apart by Helen’s wind spell, Sanae turned towards Sumireko and gave her a thumbs up.

_You did most of the work, Sanae._

Sumireko said that to herself, but she felt elated at the same time. The enemies this time really were weak, but at the same time, she had made some progress. She knew what she was doing, and she had managed to pay attention to her surroundings, unlike before. There was still a long way to go, but she wasn’t as hopeless as she once thought.

“I knew you could do it, Usami-san!” Sanae was happy as she approached her after picking up her arrows from the now-dissolving remains of the Shadows. “In no time, you’ll surpass me for sure!”

“You sound really happy about that somehow, Sanae. Won’t you continue making progress too, anyway?”

“Well, I could, but you’re the one with the cool ability here, Usami-san.” Sanae was genuinely earnest as she said that, or so Sumireko felt. She decided to not contest what Sanae said. “And see, I know you can do it once you start having fun with Shadow extermination.”

“...Am I really having fun, though?” Sumireko shook her head. Even if everything flowed more naturally for her this time, calling it “fun” still felt like quite a stretch. They were just mindless monsters, but Sanae saying it that way still bugged her, a little. Then again, Sumireko wasn’t Sanae, who killed all these Shadows with a glint of light in her eyes and a satisfied smile on her face. For someone kind and soft-spoken, Sanae turned into quite a thrillseeker during the Dark Hour. Surely, Sumireko was different from her in that regard. She only got herself into this because she wanted to survive.

<"I suppose there is nothing wrong with having fun. As long as you two remain safe, of course.">

“But Sanae is getting quite scary with it, though…” Sumireko said in a hushed tone.

“...Pardon, Usami-san?”

Sumireko didn’t turn around. She decided that it was for the best that she didn’t bring it up again.

The two went to sweep around the park, to see if there was anyone prone to Shadow attacks around. According to Mitsuru, the coffins existed as a way for normal people to protect themselves from Shadows during the Dark Hour, but both bad luck and certain mental states could make them lose the protection. It was thus their job to prevent Shadows from getting to these people, or else they would end up being one of the Lost.

“But there’s still a lot of Lost anyway no matter how much we go out.”

<"It’s the gesture that is important, Usami. We in SEES are severely undermanned, and so the best we can do is to minimize the impact on the city whenever we can, and try to figure out a way to resolve the situation by way of the Abyss.">

Since that sounded reasonable, Sumireko never debated about it again with Mitsuru.

“Kirijo-senpai, the park is clear.”

<"Good work, Kochiya and Usami. Regroup on our starting position as soon as you can.">

Without saying another word, the two left the park. It should be around fifteen minutes of walking to reach where Mitsuru was, but the two really weren’t in that much of a rush, so their pace was steady. Sumireko looked at Sanae again. She remembered that one time when Sanae asked whether Sumireko wanted to be friends with her or not. Back then, she answered yes because she knew that Sanae had ulterior motives, and Sumireko was intent on fulfilling her own objective by using her too. All that ended up causing a mess on that very day, and since then, Sumireko felt that she had barely thought about it anymore.

She wanted to be close to Sanae, but how would she even achieve that? What should she say to her? Sumireko was not Marisa, who seemed to know the right thing to say all the time when she was not in a joking mood.

Wait.

“So, you’re close with Kirisame-senpai, huh?”

“Yes. She was the reason I joined SEES in the first place. She really is quite something, no?” Sanae spoke loosely. Sumireko didn’t expect an answer that was as straightforward as that.

“She is very cool, yeah. Do you have any feelings for her?” Sumireko continued without thinking. Only after she said that did she realize that she had made a mistake in asking that question, but looking at Sanae, she surprisingly didn’t seem like she was taking it badly.

“Not romantically, no. She’s attractive for sure, but she’s just not my type.” Sanae answered it with the same tone as before, but she paused afterward. She looked like she was thinking about what her next answer should be. Sumireko patiently waited until she began to speak again. “I’m not really interested in pursuing romantic relationships anyway. And she is kind of a disaster when it’s about love. She’d appreciate it more if I play the role of the person laughing at her failures from the side instead.”

“...You sound quite mean when it’s about Kirisame-senpai.” Sumireko was the one to pause this time. Was this really how friendships even worked? It didn’t seem like a pleasant thing. At least to Sumireko, having someone like Sanae mocking her failures, even in a friendly manner, would only stress her out. But it was still enviable. They were so close that they could do something like that to each other. While Sumireko right now still struggled to even know what sort of people Sanae and Marisa were like in a deeper way.

“She just likes it rough, you know?” Sanae giggled a little. Sumireko too, couldn’t help but smile hearing that, despite the odd wording choice.

“I wonder if that says something about her…”

“Have you seen how she acts around Hakurei-senpai?”

Even Mitsuru could be heard stifling her laughter from across their comm device after that. This Sanae perhaps wasn’t really one that Sumireko was used to, but at least this part of her was pleasant to interact with in the end.

<”Enough, you two. Please return immediately.”>

“Alright, Kirijo-senpai,” Sanae said, before taking off her communication device and pocketing it. Sumireko looked at her in surprise, but Sanae paid it little mind. They were still away from the rendezvous point with Mitsuru, which meant that Mitsuru might need to tell them something else before then. So, why…? Without her realizing it, Sumireko too, mirrored what Sanae did and pocketed her own device.

“Now that Kirijo-san isn’t listening to us, I want to ask you something important.” As she said it, Sanae walked past her. Sumireko couldn’t read her expression. “Usami-san, don’t get too close to Marisa, alright?”

“...Eh?” Sumireko looked at Sanae in confusion. This had somehow become something that she did not expect. DIdn’t Sanae say that she didn’t see Marisa romantically? Sanae, however, noticed that look on Sumireko’s face, and finally turned around.

“I don’t care how you want to interpret this request, but I mean, please don’t ever consider dating her. It’s a dangerous thing.”

“I don’t- That’s such a cruel thing to say about Kirisame-senpai. What does that even mean?”

“It’s not dangerous for you. She’s not that kind of person. It’s… dangerous for herself.” Sanae looked uncomfortable as she admitted that to Sumireko.

“Some people are better off being left alone. You can be friends with someone without getting too close to them. Dig too deep, and all your goodwill to them might end up being replaced with regret instead.”

X-X-X

_Thursday, 30th of April, 2009  
Gekkoukan High, Class 2-D  
07.30_

It was the next morning already. Sumireko sat on her desk, her gaze locked on Sanae’s empty seat. She wasn’t as fatigued from last night’s patrol as expected, but more than that, she still was unable to stop thinking about what Sanae said regarding Marisa. For the most part, though, she wanted to know why Sanae had said that in the first place.

Perhaps Sanae had only jumped to conclusions. After all, Sumireko was only interested in girls, and Marisa was too, notoriously so. It was probably natural for Sanae to think that Sumireko would eventually date Marisa, even if Sumireko didn’t really have any desire for that. She’d pick Reimu over Marisa all day, for one, but moreover… she already had Merry.

But no, putting that aside. Sumireko wondered whether that really was said for Marisa’s sake. Somehow, Sumireko thought that perhaps there might be another reason why Marisa’s relationships all ended up in failure… no, that wouldn’t be right. Sanae said it herself that she had no romantic interest in Marisa.

Something still bugged her about this whole situation, regardless. Sumireko decided that she would try investigating it further. That was what a detective would do, and she would perhaps be able to get close to Sanae too, this way.

But...how?

The chattering of the few classmates that came early to class was always audible, but for once, Sumireko paid a little more attention to them. They were all talking about things. New movies, going out together, artists they were currently into, or games they just bought. Listening to them, Sumireko realized that she actually had little idea what Sanae actually liked. What sort of music did she enjoy? What sort of books did she read? What did she do in her spare time... other than murdering Shadows to death?

Sumireko wanted to just assign her the generic “popular girl liking popular stuff” judgment towards Sanae, but… was that really it? Back then, Sanae was hesitant in admitting about the music she liked.

Perhaps she could ask her to go to the arcade again?

No, that wouldn’t work. Sumireko shivered at the thought of facing Sanae in air hockey again. Sumireko retreated back to her seat, looking defeated. She still had a long way to go if she wanted to be anywhere close to anyone at this rate.

“Are you okay, Usami? You look drained.”

“W-when did you get here?”

Dragging Sumireko out of her slump was Aya, who had somehow managed to get behind her without Sumireko realizing it. Was she some sort of Reimu-like cryptid too? Looking around the class however, seeing how many more people were there since last she paid attention, it was clear that Sumireko was just out of it for longer than she thought.

“Err… well, I’m fine really. I jogged from the dorm to here earlier, so that might be it.”

“But you’re not even sweating…”

Aya shook her head. “Nevermind that. Although, maybe you should consider joining a sports club instead? I hear Iwasaki from our class is recruiting for her volleyball club.”  
“...Which one is Iwasaki, again?” Sumireko stared at Aya emptily.

“Black hair, ponytail. Very loud. Are you sure you don’t know her?”

“...Apologies, but I don’t tend to pay attention to our classmates…” Sumireko lowered her head, feeling a little ashamed.

“Usami… you really are kinda hopeless. You probably should start paying more attention to people other than Sanae. I get that she’s pretty but don’t you think you’re a bit too-”

“That’s… you can’t just jump to conclusions like that!” Sumireko was feeling a little annoyed. While yes, she was into other girls, but she couldn’t just let Aya of all people know something like that. Moreover, she didn’t even see Sanae that way. Aya’s ability to spread the “truth” of the incident she and Sanae got into back then was impressive… too impressive. Sumireko would rather not have something more private be what Aya spread to everyone next.

“Sorry, I was just feeling like teasing you a little. That’s pretty normal, isn’t it?” Aya didn’t change from her jovial expression, but Sumireko distanced herself a little from her. “To be fair, you did spend like half an hour or so staring at her desk without doing much else. Did you come to school early entirely to do that?”

Aya had casually cornered her. As Sumireko’s sharp gaze went directly to her, Aya’s smile only got wider.

She was clearly the devil herself. Sumireko was sure just by looking at her eyes.

“Fine, you can believe whatever. I don’t care at this point.” Sumireko sighed with a defeated tone. It was far from ideal, but if Marisa could get away with having her escapades being more or less a public secret, then perhaps it wouldn’t be that big of a deal on her end here.

“Oh come on, are you thinking that I’m going to blackmail you or something? I’m Shameimaru Aya, a gossiper with integrity!” Aya proudly puffed out her chest as she made that declaration. Somehow, saying that directly only made her more suspicious. “I’m just a little concerned with how long you’ve been staring at Sanae’s empty desk, so I figure that I might be able to help you with her. I’m not a bad matchmaker, you know?”

“I don’t have a crush on Sanae, so just get out and…” Sumireko didn’t finish her words. Right, she had no romantic interest on Sanae at all, but she wanted to be her friend. She wanted to get closer to her, and she wanted to find what she meant last night too. And Aya could help her with it. No, Aya would be the perfect person she could use to get closer to Sanae. After all, the other three friends of Sanae were all… far less friendly to her than Aya was.

Of course, that would mean trusting someone as shady as Shameimaru Aya.

Sumireko sighed. This felt like something that she would quickly regret.

“Fine. I do need to know a bit more about Sanae.”

“Then, first of all, tell me more about you before you moved out of Iwatodai.” Aya brought out her notes as she spoke. Sumireko thought she looked like she was preparing the contract that would bind Sumireko’s soul into eternal servitude to her. So naturally, she refused.

“Didn’t I say I don’t want to talk about that? I barely remembered any of it, anyway?”

“...Oops. I forgot. Then fine, I’ll do this for free too this time.” Her notebook remained, however. That surely was a sign of someone trustworthy.

“So, what are the things that Sanae likes?”

“She likes going to the arcade, even if she doesn’t admit it much. Fighting games are her favorite.” Aya mentioned that one quite easily. Sumireko was disappointed. That one was already obvious to her. Perhaps not the fighting game part, but Sumireko had zero expertise at them and zero interest in learning them anyway. However, after that one, Aya took a particularly long time to think of an answer, which surprised Sumireko.

“Surely that can’t be the only thing, right?”

“Hm…” Aya didn’t even seem like she was noticing Sumireko at the time. What was she even thinking about? Surely it wouldn’t be hard to say, like, what sort of music Sanae was into. Or was Sanae just someone so dull that she didn’t like anything in particular?

“Yeah, that’s all, really. I guess I can say that her birthday will be in three weeks. She doesn’t tell most people about it, so I think you should prepare her a surprise then.”

“I can’t prepare a surprise if I don’t even know what she likes.” Sumireko pouted.

“Well, tough luck. That’s just how Sanae is, I guess.” Aya shrugged her shoulders. Pushing for more answers from her clearly wouldn’t lead to anything meaningful now. Moments later, both of them saw Sanae entering the classroom with Daiya and her two lackeys following her from behind. Aya saw this as a sign to walk away from Sumireko.  
However, just as she passed her desk, Aya said one final thing to Sumireko.

“Saying more than that could cause troubles.” Aya didn’t even look at her as she said it, but her words there lacked the usual bright tone she showcased earlier. Sumireko felt a chill travel through her veins.

“Good luck with Sanae. You’ll need it.”

X-X-X

“Usami-san!”

Whether it was out of a stroke of luck or the complete opposite, Sanae approached Sumireko after school. It was apparently due to Mitsuru, who ordered Sanae to give Sumireko her allowance for being part of SEES.

Sumireko side-eyed Sanae, seeing the sizable amount of cash that had just been handed to her. It was hard to not think of ulterior motives when it was about that much money, but considering the life-threatening risk of their activity on top of Mitsuru’s general bottomless wallet, maybe she shouldn’t question it too much. She needed that money, anyway. Her aunt barely gave her enough. However, even so, it didn’t sit with her right.

Still feeling awkward about the allowance, Sumireko instead thought of something. Without thinking too much about whether it would work or not, she spoke of her idea to Sanae.

“But um… actually… Sanae, do you want to hang out in Chagall’s with me now? I… uh, wanted to ask about one of our assignments earlier.”

“Um… sure? I happen to be free today. Takeba-san is sick from training too much, so there’s no Archery club while she’s out of commission. But asking about assignments doesn’t seem like something you would do normally…”

“A-ack, I just… well, I’m a bit worried since we skipped a lot of class already and all that, so maybe I should pay more attention to our classes.” Sumireko went further with her excuse. Her goal was definitely not about the assignment. She just wanted an opportunity to dig into Sanae and her secrets. While the last time she did so ended up in total failure, surely this time would be different, right?

“Hm, you’re right. But… I don’t think I’ll be of good help. You see, I’m not good at Math at all. Maybe I can ask Kitashirakawa-san to help-” Sanae paused just before she finished, and shook her head. Sumireko felt like she had heard the complicated name Sanae just said before, but she couldn’t remember where. Moments later, Sanae continued. “Alright then, I’ll try my best to help you, Usami-san.”

And so, the two of them went to Chagall once more. To Sumireko this place was becoming as common a sight as Gekkoukan itself, and that couldn’t be good. If she wasn’t just fresh off getting the allowance from Mitsuru, her wallet would’ve been crying rivers by now. However, this was an opportunity, and a good detective should grasp one whenever such an opportunity was present.

“Welcome back.” One of the waitresses greeted her. Sumireko nodded politely, and they were taken to a table near the window with a good view.

Sanae found that to be commendable. “You come here so often they remember you.”

Sumireko vaguely remembered when she met the nice office lady Ruri at this very cafe last week and looked around, hoping to see her. The cafe, however, was not very packed, it was closer to being empty. And out of everyone present, Ruri was nowhere to be found. “Well, this place has its downtime too, huh.”

“Actually, lately it’s been downtime here more often than not.” The waitress interjected as she brought the two girls’ orders. “During rush hours we’re usually still packed, but there have been fewer customers in general as of late. It’s a little concerning.”

The only other customer aside from the two of them was a lone man sitting further away. His gaze was blank and it didn’t seem as if anything registered to him.

“Is that one of the Lost you told me about that one time?” Sumireko asked, carefully as to not mention the Abyss to the waitress next to them.

“Um, perhaps.” Sanae’s expression turned a little sour too.

“The Lost, huh? They’re all over the news lately.” The waitress chimed in.

They took a closer look at the man, he was wearing a typical salaryman suit and his hair was greying and balding. It looked like he was muttering something over and over.

“Or maybe not. I think that’s just a regular working adult, uh, a regular salaryman. I think I can hear him saying something about stocks falling and the recession.” The waitress pointed out.

“Aha…” Sumireko wasn’t sure what to say.

“Ah, I shouldn’t be ranting here. Enjoy the meal.” The waitress then walked away.

“I couldn’t tell at all. Could you, Usami-san?”

“Maybe corporate zombies and the Lost are always meant to be one and the same. But… nevermind that, let’s just eat for now.” Sumireko’s fork went straight for the blueberry tart. Sanae went for a pricier full-sized strawberry cream cake. When she saw Sumireko grimacing at her, Sanae smiled.

“Since you’re treating me, I may as well order something pricier than usual.” If not for her smile that emitted no ill will, Sumireko would be angry. Moreover, Sumireko would’ve done the same in this situation too. As the two finished their food, neither moved to bring out their notebooks to begin studying. Sanae probably had picked up that Sumireko wasn’t here to ask about school assignments of all things, but Sumireko herself was not willing to admit that just yet.

What should she even ask her about? Marisa? Her hobbies? When both things ended up causing people to give ominous messages to her, how could Sumireko figure out what to talk about with Sanae?

“You know, I’m still surprised you’re not dating anyone, Sanae.” Not really thinking straight, Sumireko just went with what came to her mind first.

“Hm, do you take issue with that, Usami-san?” Sanae raised her eyebrows. Sumireko realized that she had probably asked her the wrong thing, and scrambled to save herself from making further mistakes.

“E-err, no, not that! I mean, I’m just surprised really. Wouldn’t it be easy for someone like you to find someone to be with?”

“Just because I can, doesn’t mean I would just do that.” Sanae looked exasperated as if she had been answering the same question over and over again by now. “Honestly, falling in love just feels like a pain. My youth is better spent on doing other things that just dating people I won’t even be with after graduation, you know?”

That was a reasonable explanation. Different people had different ways of seeing things, and for the most part, Sumireko was just glad that the situation didn’t escalate in a bad direction.

“It’s a little tiring, having everyone ask me about that all the time. It’s as if being in my position means I’m obligated to date someone.” Sanae sighed. Sumireko’s guess was right, apparently. “But let’s not talk about that anymore.”

“Fine then.”

And they were back to square one. No matter how she could slice this situation, it was an unpleasant one. Frustrating even. Her cup of coffee was empty. Her cake had already been finished, and she was nowhere close to cracking Sanae’s secrets. If both of them had been normal people, she could just ask Sanae about what she liked, play it off as if it was a casual conversation, then eventually surprise her on her birthday later.

But neither of them was normal in that sense. Sanae was like a strongbox that Sumireko was currently trying to pick the lock of. Maybe she should reconsider the whole idea of picking the people of SEES as her “friends” if this was how complicated everything would be.

“Kochiya Sanae! There you are.”

However, interrupting Sumireko’s thoughts was Kasukabe Daiya, who barged into the cafe with her usual stern look. She was the last person Sumireko wanted to see, and from the way she glared at her, Sumireko was sure that the feeling was mutual.

“E-eh, Daiya? What are you doing here?” Sanae too was surprised to see Daiya here, and her expression looked like someone who had been caught cheating by her partner. Sumireko remained silent, hoping that whatever reason Daiya came here would be resolved as soon as possible.

“Takeba’s been looking for you. She’s furious that you skipped another practice day for her club. And don’t you have an upcoming competition anyway? Why are you over here dating this Usami of all things?” Daiya talked to Sanae as if she was a mother scolding her child, but Sumireko’s attention was instead on what Daiya had just said.

“It’s not anything like that, Daiya!” Even Sanae’s weak rebuttal didn’t register much to Sumireko at the time.

Takeba was looking for Sanae. This Takeba, who Sanae said was sick and became a reason why her club’s practice today had been canceled. But Daiya had said that she was at school and that Sanae more or less skipped practice to hang out with Sumireko.

Sanae had blatantly lied to her

With how secretive Sanae was being about herself in general, it would naturally make sense for her to be a liar too, and while it was hard to say whether she was good at it or not, back then she had played a part of hiding the truth about SEES from her too. However, even with this acknowledgment that it all made sense, something about it still disturbed Sumireko.

Perhaps it was because of her own bad experiences with liars.

“Hmph. I guess I get it. Takeba can be quite overbearing sometimes, but if you were to skip practice, wouldn’t it be best if you tell her first?”

“I suppose, yeah.” Sanae sighed. However, she soon shifted her sitting position a bit, making room for one more person on the table. “But now that we’re here, why don’t you join us, Daiya? You ran from school just to find me. You must be tired now.”

“I-I… Hmph, alright, but it’s just because you’re the one asking.” Trying her best to hide how flustered she was, Daiya took her seat and sat on the table, next to Sanae. This was an unwelcome development. Was Daiya the third-wheel in this situation, or was Sumireko the unwelcome element despite being the first one here? Whatever was the case, Sumireko made her feeling of discomfort as clear as she could manage, but Sanae didn’t seem to notice that.

“That does remind me. Horikawa-san’s been skipping school a lot lately. I wonder if she fell into a bad crowd…”

“Eh. That Shameimaru told me that she’s just busy with her band practice. Managed to get in as a drummer or something.”

“Huh? What sort of band?”

And quickly, they forgot about Sumireko’s presence. Sumireko couldn’t care about what they were talking about. That they were conversing so casually in front of her like this only made her more incensed more than anything. Sanae had lied to her, and now she pretended that everything was alright and well.

Sumireko stood up.

“Usami-san? Where are-”

“I’m leaving.”

“W-wait!”

She didn’t listen. Staying there any longer would only have made her angrier. Not having any destination in mind, it wasn’t long before her legs took her over to some nearby bench to sit on. The orange-pastel sky reminded her that it would be dark soon, but this only registered in some distant part of her mind.

Sanae had lied to her. By itself, that might not have been such a huge issue. Maybe in another situation, Sumireko might have even felt a sense of victory at having Sanae choose her over her archery club. But, that wasn’t all she did. Sumireko didn’t like the way she had invited Daiya over, interrupting their time together. More than that though, something about the way Sanae had so skillfully placated Daiya bothered Sumireko. It was… smooth. So smooth that she couldn’t help but question its authenticity. Was Sanae that kind of person? The kind of person who knew just what you wanted to hear? Had she ever done that to Sumireko?

Sanae did still make time for her, though. She made time to hang out with her and got to know her a little, even if she wasn’t getting anything out of it other than just a free slice of cake. When was the last time anyone had done that for Sumireko?

Sumireko wanted to trust Sanae. They had fought together in the Abyss. They were part of a world very few people could claim to be a part of. That had to mean something.  
Sumireko wanted to trust Sanae... but her secretive, even strange behavior had begun to cast a dark shadow of doubt over her heart, and from that doubt came fear. Fear that this time would wind up like all the other times. That Renko would be right.

“Usami-san...” A voice came from behind. Sumireko didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“You could’ve told me you were busy today, Sanae,” Sumireko responded neutrally, trying to hide the rising feelings of frustration within her. Her sitting posture was stiff, with her hands placed nervously on her legs in front of her.

Sumireko was upset, but she didn’t want to be upset at Sanae. This was entirely different than being angry at some pleb or some popular girl who looked down on her. That kind of anger was gratifying, but there was nothing remotely gratifying about this.

Sumireko didn’t want Sanae to go away, or even to apologize. She just wanted to be convinced she could trust Sanae. That they were really friends and that Sumireko was just being silly.

Before Sanae could respond, Sumireko continued.

“I mean… I get it. You have your own secrets. You don’t have to tell me everything.” Sumireko knew well what it was like to have secrets. Some things were just… personal. Too personal to share. “It’s just… we’re friends, right?” Sumireko’s gaze was squarely on her hands as they played absent-mindedly with the hem of her dress. She knew Sanae’s answer would be an affirmation of their friendship, but Sumireko feared it. She feared she wouldn’t believe it.

“… Sumireko.” She could hear Sanae moving around the bench, and in her peripheral vision, she could see the skirt of Sanae’s uniform. Despite this, Sumireko couldn’t bring herself to raise her head.

But, she didn’t have to. It was Sanae instead who kneeled down, knees in the grass, to look up at Sumireko, and this time, Sumireko couldn’t help but to meet her gaze. She could see the guilt in Sanae’s features, but this wasn’t like the expression she had on when Daiya caught her. This was pained. Regretful. Regardless, Sanae managed to put on a strained smile.

“I… I’m sorry, Usami-san. My club attendance is my own problem, you know? I didn’t want you to think you were interfering with that. You were trying so hard to spend time with me… I really wanted to spend time with you, too. Takeba-san can wait.”

Sanae reached forward, placing her hands on Sumireko’s. Sumireko couldn’t help but flinch a little at the sudden contact, and she could feel her heart racing.

“Of course we’re friends… and I would never do anything I thought would hurt you. We’re comrades, we have to watch each other’s backs, you know?” Sumireko looked away, but Sanae continued, her soft grip on Sumireko’s hands growing ever so slightly tighter. “I’m sorry, Usami-san. Comrades shouldn’t lie to each other.”

Sumireko didn’t look back right away, but she could feel Sanae staring at her expectantly. Her heart felt like it was slowing down, and the irritation and hesitance in her chest were gently unknotting. It was right that Sanae was secretive, even suspicious. But not once had she endangered her. And… Sanae did, bit by bit, entrust herself to Sumireko too. After all, as Sanae said, they were comrades. They fought together as part of SEES. Even if it was just a little, Sanae did trust her.

Sumireko stood up, removing her hands from Sanae’s grasp in the process. She looked back at Sanae still kneeled down on the ground, but only for a moment before breaking eye contact again.

Whether Sanae ultimately was trustworthy or not, at least Sumireko knew that she was a kind girl. And, even if they were still distant in their own way to each other, Sumireko knew what she wanted from Sanae now. Despite the secrets, despite the white lies, Sumireko would still keep pursuing Sanae as her friend, for now. Because that was what she really desired, after all.

Sumireko extended her hand towards Sanae.

“I guess I forgive you. This time.”

Taking Sumireko’s hand again, Sanae used her as leverage to climb to her feet, almost pulling the smaller girl over. Sanae let out an apologetic giggle at the sight of Sumireko correcting herself in panic.

“Ah, sorry about that.” Sanae’s giggling was cute, Sumireko found. She couldn’t help but giggle too. “So, shall we return to the cafe?”

“Ah… yeah, come to think of it, I walked out of there without paying...” That reminder stopped her giggle and made Sumireko adjust her glasses nervously. She didn’t really think about it at the time. Surely they wouldn’t be mad if she went straight back, right? Right?

“Yeah, it’s not polite to dine and dash, Usami-san. Then again, maybe we can just get Daiya to pay.” Sanae’s mischievous grin made it difficult to tell if she was joking or not, but Sumireko grinned briefly out of reflex anyways before furrowing her brow.

“No, I don’t want to owe- er, I mean, that would be rude...”

And like that, the two were back to their casual discussion and Sumireko’s heart felt a little lighter, at least for now. Whether Sanae would truly keep her promise or not was not something Sumireko would be able to know for now, but she didn’t want to think about that at this moment.

For once, she wanted to bask in the feeling of lowering her guard to someone else.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should talk more about my chapters from now on.
> 
> Bit of a slower and less emotionally draining chapter this time. Sumi's still struggling with a lot of things, but at least she had made a step forward at least.
> 
> Oh, right, now that Daiya has returned to the scene, I suppose it's time to address her a bit more. She's an original character made for this fic to be Sanae's supposed close friend. While she is by no mean will be a focus going forward, she would play a pretty important role in Sanae's story, so look forward to it!
> 
> (As for her name and appearance, she is based on a certain Diana Cavendish from Little Witch Academia. Daiya(na) Kasukabe(ndish). Kind of a lame way to convert her name, yeah.)


	15. Chapter 11: Dedicated to a Certain Carefree Detective

X-X-X

### Chapter 11: Dedicated to a Certain Carefree Detective

X-X-X

_Sunday, 3rd of May, 2009  
Iwatodai Strip Mall  
11.30_

Sometimes, Sumireko wondered whether she was the type to be satisfied with a comfortable status quo.

It was Sunday, almost a week after her meeting with Sanae at Chagall. Sumireko had spent more time with Sanae since then, allowing herself to be vulnerable around the green-haired girl - and, given Sanae hadn't lied so blatantly again, it appeared that she was being extended the same courtesy. However, they hadn’t grown any closer since, and Sumireko's newfound attempts to do so came up against a previously invisible wall; nevertheless, Sumireko felt that she could pretend that they had succeeded. It was, ultimately, a rhythm that she was comfortable to go along with.

Their relationship was nothing more than that, a comfortable status quo.

Her efforts at socializing didn't manage to extend to the other girls so far. Marisa seemed especially busy lately, while Reimu almost appeared to be _avoiding_ Sumireko. Even last Friday during another dive into the Abyss, which allowed Reimu to further showcase the awesome splendor of the Wild Card - but not much else happened. Reimu didn't speak much to her, not even to correct Sumireko in her usual wrongdoings. And naturally, Mitsuru was being her usual self, always acting as if she had an empire to manage.

Nevertheless, she had made a lot of progress. Just being able to comfortably spend time with another girl on a regular basis was quite a leap of faith for her, and now it was one Sumireko felt happy to take. It felt like it was the right track.

And, if it was, she'd have to take bigger risks. Her current situation was refreshing, but not truly satisfying - and if Sumireko wanted to prove Renko wrong, she needed to create progress. Even though Renko wasn’t present, she really never stopped watching - and her eyes were disapproving.

Sumireko was tired of disappointment. Renko had given her one chance - it was up to her to put on a good show.

...

Although... she was somewhat certain that whatever plan she had in mind did not involve hiding behind a bush and observing intently as Marisa brazenly, _passionately,_ kissed a certain Shameimaru Aya in a secluded part of the strip mall. Sumireko felt a little uneasy - and, perhaps more worryingly, excited - with how daring Marisa was in doing something like that in a relatively public place, even if the two were clearly dating.

Sumireko had been trailing the pair for close to half an hour. Her prior attempts at calling or messaging Marisa had ended in unexpected failure, yet pure coincidence had led her to stumble upon the two of them. What started as a curiosity, however, devolved into shock. Sumireko hadn’t expected that Marisa and Aya were friendly - and certainly not to _this point._ She wasn’t the type to interfere in others' love life, but since it was Aya, Sumireko was worried that she would have ulterior motives in pursuing Marisa. In this worry, she wondered… did Sanae know about this?

Marisa broke the kiss with Aya eventually, smoothly moving to her lover’s ear to whisper sweet nothings to her. Aya giggled in a way that Sumireko had never heard from her before. Wild ideas began to brew as Sumireko tried to discern the subject of Aya's amusement. Was this the reason why Sanae warned her against dating Marisa? Protecting her friends’ love life did seem reasonable, but… No, what if Aya was just trying to dig into SEES’ secrets through Marisa, just like in her attempts to dig into Sumireko’s past?

_No, that’s just nonsense,_ Sumireko thought before banishing those ideas away. It was too much of a leap in logic to assume that without evidence. She didn't know how much time had passed, yet her tired legs and awkward position made the tender moments between the girls seem to stretch over the fabric of eternity. At long last they parted ways with the same familiar attitude they had since the moment they met - but Sumireko wasn't out of the woods just yet.

Marisa approached her concealed position - that casual stroll of hers had never seemed so menacing before.

“Oi, Sumi.” Marisa’s words showed a little bit of annoyance. “It’s rude to spy on someone else’s date, you know?”

“A-ah! I didn’t really mean to!” Sumireko panicked and pushed herself out of the bush. She was dying of embarrassment, cheeks burning red. “I just… well, I didn’t even expect Aya to be into girls.” Sumireko rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. It was a half-truth, of course, but at least it was still true in some ways.

"I'm not complaining." Marisa said with a dreamy look. "Granted, I was more surprised she was interested in romance. She seemed more like-"

"Trouble?" Sumireko cut Marisa off with, for once, perfect timing. "Honestly, senpai, dating Aya of all people..."

“Then it’s just two trainwrecks dating each other.” Marisa made a stupid grin. “Chances are our issues will cancel each other out and we’ll both be better off afterwards.”

“...You’re hopeless.” Rather than continuing this train of disappointment, Sumireko couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity instead, and Marisa followed suit.

“Still, are you stalking us just because you’re worried that I’m dating Aya?”

“N-no, not like that! I… um, well, I was thinking of spending some time with you today, but I couldn’t even call you. So I figured that I'd just come here on my own, but instead I came across you guys and..." She faltered, before pushing herself onward. “Isn't doing that in public a bit indecent, senpai?”

“Well, the cell reception around here lately is pretty bad, so you’re just out of luck there, Sumi.” Then, surprising Sumireko, Marisa gave her a sudden teasing expression. “If you want to spend time with me, I’m free now. And you know, you’ve been quite bold lately, Sumi. Asking me directly for a date....”

“Kirisame-senpai!” Sumireko raised her voice, embarrassed. Marisa was truly terrifying.

“Ahaha, I’m just joking!” The teasing expression on Marisa’s face erupted into loose laughter. “Don’t worry about that. Dates don’t have to be romantic, you know?”

“...Kirisame-senpai.” Sumireko was unamused.

“Err… did I go too far?” Marisa’s laughter stopped, looking at Sumireko with concern. Sumireko shook her head in response, and she saw Marisa let out a sigh, relieved. “But yeah, you wanna go somewhere with me?”

And surprisingly, Sumireko found herself in agreement. “I think... I want to eat ramen for once. Let’s go there.”

…

“Anything wrong, Sumi?”

“N… no, really. I’m fine.”

“You seem to be moving away from me, though.” Marisa said with a wry grin.

“Ah…”

At first, Sumireko didn’t know what was making her so tense. Being next to Marisa would, in theory, allow her to borrow her confidence. But the truth was that Marisa's attitude surpassed mere confidence - she was uncomfortably, terrifyingly shameless. She had to repeatedly remind herself their date wasn't romantic in nature, a fact reflected in the dissonant nature of their footsteps. Sumireko had read that people in love would have matching footsteps, and the clear disharmony between her and Marisa came as quite a relief.  
The ramen shop was mostly empty, much to Sumireko's surprise. After ordering their meals, Marisa told her it would get crowded in the afternoon given it was a youth-oriented restaurant. Sumireko couldn’t complain, given it provided her plenty of freedom of choice in where to sit.

Yet of all places, Sumireko ended up sitting next to Marisa. As much as her shamelessness was making her uneasy, something about Marisa made Sumireko feel drawn to her too. But being in this situation meant the awkward feeling was becoming a tiny bit unbearable. As the silence would only amplify that awkward feeling further, Sumireko asked Marisa the first thing that came across her mind.

“Kirisame-senpai, do you know anything that Sanae would like for her birthday?”

“...Huh, you knew that it’s going to be soon?” Marisa looked at Sumireko with surprise, but seeing Sumireko’s little nod, she seemed to decide to clarify what was on her mind. “Well, Sanae doesn’t really like to celebrate it openly, so she preferred to keep it a secret. Where did you hear it?”

“Aya told me about it.”

“Ah, of course. No secret is safe from that girl.” Marisa sighed. “Though, you really are well-acquainted with her, huh. I admit, I’m a bit surprised myself.”

“Well, she seems to be intent on digging into my personal history. I’ve been quite against telling her anything, but she keeps perching near me anyway. Always hanging around, waiting for stray crumbs… Kind of like an annoying bird.” Even so, Aya had never gone out of line so far. Sumireko admitted that maybe even her type had standards too.

“That sounds like her alright.” Marisa stifled a laugh from hearing that. “No wonder you’re very wary of her.”

“If you know her this well, you sure seem to be easygoing about dating her.”

“It’ll inevitably end anyway. So there’s no harm in me enjoying it.” With a carefree tone, Marisa answered her question.

Sumireko raised an eyebrow. “What do you even see in her?”

“Hmm…” Marisa paused for a moment, trying to find the words. “Well, err… she's hardworking... I guess she has a nice smile... she's, ah... earnest..."

"Senpai, you are awful at lying." Sumireko sighed in exasperation, almost feeling insulted that Marisa seriously underestimated her basic intelligence.

“Ahahah… you are quite perceptive, Sumi.” Marisa rubbed the back of her head. Unexpectedly, she looked embarrassed. “The reasons why I’m dating her are something that I’d rather keep to myself. But I guess if that worries you, I will just say that Aya’s more pleasant than you think she is.”

“You say that, but…” Before Sumireko could finish, their bowl of ramen arrived. Sumireko, who wanted to push the topic further, ended up being distracted as she took in the delicious fragrance of the dish. The pork curry ramen was truly mouthwatering.

“Does Sanae know about this?” Her concerns evaporating as she savored her bowl, Sumireko asked the next question a little later, between mouthfuls.

“Not really, no. I’m still mentally preparing myself for the inevitable earful that Sanae will give me.” Marisa’s answer only made Sumireko sigh. “Though I don’t think I’ll ever tell her about it. I mean, even I can have my own secrets too, right?”

Sumireko didn’t contest what Marisa said. Even to a close friend, Sumireko couldn’t imagine exposing so much of yourself to be anything mandatory. Sumireko decided not to push the topic further, and the two of them went on to enjoy their food in relative silence.

However, Marisa ended up being the one to continue the conversation as soon as she finished her bowl. “Sanae’s been happier than usual lately, you know. You’ve been hanging out with her more these past few days, am I right?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Well, I’m glad for that. Always nice to see her being less tense than usual.”

“Ah, it’s nothing....” Sumireko wasn’t sure how to take that. She had never really thought of what her attempts of becoming closer would mean for Sanae, and she didn’t know what sort of implication Marisa’s words had. She ultimately just gave Marisa an awkward smile. At least, until something came to her mind from what Marisa said. “To think about it, why are you two so close, anyway? To the point of Sanae being so freely able to make fun of you...”

“Well, we’re close friends, that’s all. I did save her on our first meeting and all, on top of getting her into SEES.” Marisa paused before shaking her head. “Well, she helped me with certain things too. She tends to be super cautious about them, so I’d rather not say more than this, though.”

“And what about her making fun of you?”

“I’m the kind of person that needs that sort of thing once in a while. So you can consider that a favor I asked her to do.” For someone saying such a stupid thing, Marisa was somehow managing to look cool as she said it.

Ultimately, this conversation didn’t really answer as much as Sumireko liked. She quickly realized that continuing this would be fruitless, as much as she wanted to know something, anything about Sanae. Marisa in the meantime ordered another bowl of ramen. Sumireko, who kept being distracted by other things so far, only then noticed that there were no longer any bandages on Marisa’s arm.

“Senpai, your arm…”

“Oh, this?” Looking a little smug, Marisa waved her arm around. “Reimu fixed it up the other day. There’s no way Mitsuru will let me into another dive for now though, but it’s really not a big deal anymore. It’s crazy that Reimu can even do something this. She really is very unfair, don’t you think?”

“I’m just glad that your arm’s better…” Right, Reimu had a healing spell, somehow. Sumireko wondered how much this new development would make Marisa be even more reckless in combat. She wouldn’t be surprised if Marisa eventually devised some way to throw her arm as part of her attacks.

“Oh yeah, she did also tell me about how you’re doing lately.” Marisa continued. “She said she’s impressed by how much you improved on last Friday’s dive. And in general, really.”

“A-ah…” Sumireko wasn’t sure how to react to that. She wasn’t sure about what Reimu thought of her after her anger back in the sushi place last week, but this helped to ease her mind a little. “I’m glad that Hakurei-senpai sees me that way.”

“Gotta say that I agree with her here. I’m not around in the Abyss to watch you or anything, but I can tell you’re more comfortable with SEES and everything. Was my pep talk last week really that potent?” Marisa gave Sumireko a pat on her back.

“Y...yeah… I guess it did make me think more about my current situation.”

“Hah, then I'm glad that it helped you in some way.” From how ecstatic Marisa was being, maybe this was something important for her too. She decided not to inquire further.

However…

No, perhaps it was nothing. Just like her worries about Marisa dating Aya, perhaps it was just a little unfounded. However… Sumireko couldn’t help but notice that Marisa was forcing her smile. Now that nothing distracted her, Sumireko was able to notice the exhaustion on Marisa’s face.

She wanted to ask Marisa about it, but relented at the last second. Just coming this far was a huge improvement from before. She shouldn’t push her luck. Distracting herself from noticing it, Sumireko instead ordered another bowl as well. She wasn’t the one paying here, so rather than worrying about someone’s secrets she should just enjoy this strange “date” more instead.

X-X-X

“I’m back.”

It was five in the afternoon when Sumireko returned to the dorm, and it seemed that nobody else was home yet. Marisa had said that she had something to do and hurriedly left Sumireko alone around half an hour ago, but she didn’t know what everyone else was doing now.

The television was turned on, however. The screen showed a newscaster speaking. The nation’s economy continued its decline due to the global recession, or so she said. But Sumireko didn’t care about that. The fact that the TV was on however, made her curious. Outside of Marisa, Sumireko couldn’t think of anyone else who would be sloppy enough to leave the TV on. Sumireko herself had little interest in watching the TV. Both books and the internet provided her with what she needed better, and she could select only the information that she wanted too rather than being flooded with garbage and propaganda.

Her opinion aside, someone was definitely here recently. Could it be a thief? Or a ghost? Reimu? Sumireko decided to wait on the sofa and pretend to read a nearby magazine instead of returning to her room. Her decision was rewarded just a few minutes later.

“Ah, it’s good to see you, Usami.”

Rather than a teenage girl’s voice, however, the one that greeted her was the Chairman and primary adviser of SEES himself, Ikutsuki Shuji, coming out of the kitchen. Sumireko hadn’t seen him since her initiation into SEES. She meant no offense, but she felt that his presence was somewhat forgettable, especially when placed next to Mitsuru. With his dreary brown suit and the lighting of the dorm’s living room, the chairman blended right in.

“I uh, didn’t expect to see you here, Chairman.” Especially on a Sunday. Sumireko left the last part unsaid.

The chairman laughed, his voice carrying a gentleness to it. “I suppose that is understandable. I was just finished going over the data of the most recent dive in the Command Room, and decided to treat myself a little afterwards.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Now what about you? Are you having a good time so far at Gekkoukan?”

“I… think so? It hasn’t been horrible, at least.” It could be a lot worse, Sumireko mumbled. She thought of bowing out and leaving for her room, but she stopped herself. She looked at Ikutsuki. Her being able to catch him was a rarity in itself, and now that she was trying her best to fit in with SEES and its activities, wouldn’t it be best if she at least tried to get more knowledge about everything?

“Um… Chairman, are you currently free?” Sumireko pushed herself to be the one to prompt the question. “I, well, there are things that I wanted to ask you about.”

“Hm? Of course, of course. Would this be about SEES, dear?”

“Y-yeah.” It took all of Sumireko’s willpower to keep her eyes in the chairman’s direction, who seemed to be waiting for a reaction. Ikutsuki smiled at Sumireko and eventually sat down on the sofa, gesturing for Sumireko to sit opposite of him.

And then, silence. The two remained silent for long enough for Ikutsuki to even go to the kitchen and return with a full tea set for the two of them, but Sumireko struggled to even say anything. Doubts grew within her if she even had anything worth asking here. She felt like she was being overwhelmed by it. Unable to bear it anymore, Sumireko took a leap and asked what passed through her mind first, before she could melt into a puddle of embarrassment.

“How long has SEES existed for?”

Right, that had been something that she was curious about for a while. It was nothing big, but something about the situation did strike her as odd. As she worded that, more things came to her mind, and Sumireko added further clarification to her question. “I remember that Marisa once said she and Reimu had been fighting the Shadows since middle school. But this seems to be a club that only exists in this high school, so it all confuses me. Were there ever any other Persona Users before the two of them?”

Ikutsuki nodded, “I see. It is a fair question, and I would imagine that you were also curious about why there was barely anyone in our ranks for such an important task.” When Ikutsuki smiled to himself again, Sumireko wondered if there was supposed to be a joke hidden in there somewhere. “Kirisame and Reimu were the first two people that we found to possess the Potential to summon a Persona, but back then, the Shadow population was small and the Abyss was something that was more or less off-limits to us, so they were able to handle things on their own despite their age. The Kirijo Group supported them even back then, of course, but it was hardly organized since we were occupied with our own issues too.”

So far, the explanation was quite reasonable. Sumireko nodded along as Ikutsuki continued his story.

“However, Miss Kirijo, who had been kept in the dark about this side of our city, awoke in the Dark Hour for the first time just as she entered high school, and she eventually learned about everything. She thus decided to establish SEES with her own initiative, in the hope that there were more people with the potential out there to be able to help her. Of course, I decided to help her too, using my experience and station to support the group.”

“And her attempt didn’t bear much fruit?” Sumireko asked. Many years of SEES being established and only one new person with the Potential explained a lot of the shadier aspects of Sumireko’s transfer into Iwatodai. While it still left her a little sore, Sumireko sympathized with Mitsuru a bit now.

“Exactly.” Ikutsuki nodded, and quickly readjusted his glasses just before they fell off. “It’s hard enough for someone to be able to awaken during the Dark Hour, and barely any of our people possessed the ability to do so. So naturally, the ones that were able to summon a Persona would be even fewer.”

“All that effort, and ultimately for little gain…”

“That’s just our luck, I suppose. That we managed to have you and Kochiya in our little family here was valuable enough in itself.” Ikutsuki looked proud as she said that. Despite everything, he was surprisingly easy to talk to. “Ultimately, SEES is a club for the sake of the convenience of you girls. If one of you wanted to do a little less school work, we could use the club as an excuse for that. It’s the least we can do for you, although so far none of you seem to be needing it very much.”

Sumireko immediately became excited at the prospect of skipping school every now and then.

“Of course, this is only if you can convince Mitsuru,” he said with a shrug.

Her hopes fell.

“Does that answer your question?”

“I… A little. Can I ask something else too?”

“Feel free.” The chairman replied. Sumireko found herself smiling a little. Right, this was something minor, but Sumireko had been less and less active in her forum ever since she joined SEES. But lately, she did try to look around more about something different than the Dark Hour for once.

“Then, I’ve also been wondering what Shadows actually are. I’ve been researching on the internet about all this and I couldn’t find a whole lot aside from stuff about the Lost, but there are rumors that this sort of thing has been happening specifically in Iwatodai for a while now.” Getting a little bit into the topic, Sumireko then began mumbling, “Of course, I couldn’t find out too much since it seems all the recent articles seem to be concentrating on some doomsday cult going around here instead, and...”

“Calm down now.” Ikutsuki pushed another plate of tart in her direction, which Sumireko felt very little hesitation about accepting. “Too many questions spoil the broth.”  
Sumireko paused herself. Her cheeks reddened. She had lowered her guard here too easily. “I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself.”

“It is perfectly fine. Well, let’s see.” Ikutsuki went silent for a moment, his tone more inquisitive than confused. “I suppose we can start with the Shadows. Although, both of those topics are ultimately linked to each other.”

“The Shadows and the Lost?”

Ikutsuki nodded. “Shadows are entities born out of humans. Specifically, suppressed human thoughts, given physical form. There are a lot of things that we don’t know yet about them, but it seems that the form they take is shaped by the strength of their source’s will. The blobs, or the Maya, as we officially classified them, are the most common type due to this.”

Which meant those Maya were made from people without a strong will. Half-assed people. Indecisive people. People without any passion. The sheep of society. They were the majority of what and whom Sumireko had encountered by far. Just background characters that weren’t as interesting as the people in SEES. It all fit together now.

“If that is the case,” Sumireko asked, “then larger Shadows, such as the one with the umbrella we faced the other day, are formed from someone with a stronger will?”

“We are not certain, but that is likely the case. However, the one you faced on the rooftop…” Ikutsuki seemed to want to continue, before shaking his head. “That was the first time such a powerful Shadow was seen outside of the Abyss. There are insufficient data to reach a conclusion just yet. But we’re getting off-track.”

Ikutsuki himself looked pleased with Sumireko’s growing interest in the topic. “Shadows create more Shadows by attacking people. They rip out someone’s psyche, and from it a new Shadow is born in the Abyss.”

Sumireko felt an epiphany. “Then, the Lost are those that had part of them become a Shadow?”

“Yes. This is why the Lost end up in such a vegetative state - because a part of their very being has been ripped out of them. They become almost comatose, vegetative. You could even say it’s like they’re sleeping. Their brainwaves are almost identical to someone experiencing a dream. However, they are unable to wake up, sometimes for months. It must be an amazing dream for them to sleep for so long, heh.”

As a joke, that wasn’t very funny or appropriate, Sumireko thought.

“That is why we’ve decided,” Ikutsuki paused, letting a moment for himself and Sumireko to loosen a little before continuing. “to call the phenomena the Lotus Syndrome.”

“So it was SEES who spread that name,” Sumireko remarked. She vaguely recalled that name being used as a way to refer to the phenomenon on the internet. It was a relief to  
discover something for once. “Can we do anything for them?”

“Fortunately, it seems that defeating the Shadows has been proven to help the Lost to recover.”

“Is it because the Shadows defeated will be returned to the people that lost them?” All of this made a lot of sense. Although, she remembered that Mitsuru had never really told her any of this. On their patrol a few days ago, Mitsuru said that the gesture of defeating the Shadows was more important.

Sumireko wondered why she would hide this truth from her.

“That seems to be the case, but again, we cannot be sure yet. Whatever the truth may be, this is one of the primary tasks of SEES.” Ikutsuki refilled his own tea. Sumireko lost track of just how many times he had done that during this talk. “The Shadow activity in this city is continuing to fluctuate. Lately, I would say that there has been a sharp increase in them, even. But I trust the four of you to be able to handle it. All of you are special amongst special people, after all.”

Something about that loosened up Sumireko. While saying that her earlier uneasiness had calmed would be inaccurate, Ikutsuki’s answers had helped her anchor herself. And the idea that she was making a difference by defeating each and every Shadow gave her a better sense of purpose too. All of these revelations made sense to her, and she was able to piece together the answers to many of her questions too.

It felt nice that someone wasn’t trying to be secretive to her for once. It was a breath of fresh air for Sumireko to be able to find someone in SEES that she could fully trust.  
Sumireko bowed at him. “Thank you for answering my questions.”

“It’s my pleasure. Should you have other questions in the future, I will be willing to listen. Mitsuru is sometimes a little bit too tight-lipped for her own good.” Ikutsuki chuckled for a moment as Sumireko left the living room. The voice of the newscaster remained as the only thing that could be heard before Sumireko closed the doors to her room.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it takes a while for this chapter! There are not many things to note in this chapter, I suppose. One thing that I would like to say is regarding Lotus Syndrome, I've chosen it as a name over Apathy Syndrome to reference the mythological Lotus Eaters as well as being somewhat of a Renko pun. Despite this, though, it has no relation to the currently released official Touhou manga, Suichouka.
> 
> It's just a convenient coincidence more than anything.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	16. Intermission 3: The Lady with the Purple Eyeshadows

X-X-X

### Intermission 3: The Lady with the Purple Eyeshadows

X-X-X

“Last encounter? No, this will be our only encounter. Your murder spree ends here.”

I stared her dead in the eye. Here she was, Yakumo Yukari, right in front of me. Her fan partially obscuring her face, her hand on her hip… hers was a posture that betrayed not a hint of anything but composed confidence. Though I could not see her face, I could tell she was smiling.

The smile of a predator, no doubt.

I had fancied myself the hunter, but it was she who had found me. Or perhaps it was something more insidious than that, maybe it was me who had been lured to her.

“Very determined, aren’t we? You always did have trouble letting go, detective. You won’t find what you seek by chasing me, I’m afraid. If you would actually open your eyes I’m sure you would see that I had no part in the crimes you’re accusing me of.”

And so it began, the next part of our dance. I didn’t know exactly what she was planning, but I knew I couldn’t let her get into my head. She may have had me at a disadvantage, but I was confident I could come out on top. I just had to be careful.

“You say you’re innocent? It’s an odd kind of innocence that leaves behind a trail of murder victims, Yakumo. I won’t stop hunting you until you’re brought to justice.”

“Justice? We both know that’s not what you’re after. All you seek is fame and self-satisfaction. Those murder victims are nothing more than stepping stones for you.” With a smooth flick of her wrist, Yukari folded her fan before bringing it downwards, pointing it directly at me. I could see her face now. She was not smiling. No, her face was devoid of any emotion at all, almost eerily so. Above her, the soft blue lights of the aquarium shone down, silhouetting her tall menacing figure and illuminating her long silky hair in a way that almost made her look ethereal.

“That is what ‘truth’ is to Usami Renko. A convenient tool for a selfish person. You don’t care what the results of your actions are, so long as you find your so-called… truth, whatever that may be.”

Inwardly, I flatly denied her claims. Even entertaining them would be like accepting defeat on some level, and I could not afford to give up any ground to this killer, silver-tongued as she was.

“A self-serving assessment from a cold-blooded murderer. Sorry, but you have this backward. The only one whose actions will be on trial is yours, and the entire police force stands behind me on this.” I began my own verbal maneuvers, trying to take back control of this argument. It was a shame I hadn’t brought any recording devices with me, but I hadn’t stumbled into this completely unprepared. If worse came to worst...

“Hmph. Somehow I knew you would say that. Very well, Delusional Prince, I shall entertain your desires.” She floridly twirled her fan and in some sleight of hand I could not follow, a folded parasol seemed to materialize in its place. A thud traveled down the tunnels of the aquarium as she planted its tip into the ground. Tilting her head ever so slightly, a sinister smile spread across her face. Not once did she blink.

Without realizing it, my muscles had tensed and my nails were digging into my palms.

“Let us say that I am, indeed, the killer. What will you do now?” Her stiletto heel tapped on the floor as she took a single step forward, daring me to act. I bit my lip. Her confidence was irritating, but this was my chance. If I could neutralize her here, then this case would be over.

_If._ Yakumo Yukari was an imposing specimen, taller and heavier than myself. This alone put me at a disadvantage. Physically fit as I was, I had never received any kind of martial arts training. On top of that, who knows what kind of weapons Yukari concealed on her person?

My hand reached into my purse, and I felt cold metal against my fingertips.

“Do you plan to arrest me, somehow? Dying to see me in cuffs, I take it? You’re welcome to try.” She took a second step. I wouldn’t let her take another.

“Stop right there!” In a practiced motion, I drew a handgun from my bag, bringing its sights into alignment over the figure in front of me. I didn’t remember bringing this with me, but whatever bout of caution I must have been suffering from at the time had just saved me. The safety was off, and I would not hesitate against a killer like her. I could not.

“A gun? How boorish. I expected something a little more interesting from you, detective.”

“Try anything, and I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.” Holding the weapon in my hand, I managed to reinject some confidence back into my voice. The gun was heavy, both physically and otherwise. Just its existence had completely reversed the situation and given me, Renko, the power to decide who would leave this aquarium alive. Guns were frightful things.

“Do you really think this is appropriate behavior for a private detective, let alone a college student? Your brutish character shames me.” She had stopped in her tracks, but wasn’t showing any signs of being intimidated, or even concerned. Her confidence truly was irritating, but I was the one in control now.

“Ever delusional. If this is how it’s going to be, I suppose I will tell you the truth.” Yet, Yukari refused to let me take over the control of the situation with her tone. She had no intent in letting me taste any advantage. “These deaths are the result of an… inevitability. I’m merely an observer in these events, not a facilitator of them. I was not responsible for their deaths in any way, shape or form. Indeed, I am the sole reason the situation hasn’t deteriorated further.”

“Even in this situation, you’re still telling these outlandish lies. ‘I didn’t commit the murders, I just watched them happen!’ Don’t be absurd!” The audacity of this woman was eroding my patience at an alarming rate. Not just the things she said, but the way she acted. Her unwarranted confidence, her seemingly unflappable attitude, her irritating familiarity. But it didn’t matter, this was already over. I was the one with the gun, and mere words could no longer regain her control of the situation.

“I don’t expect someone who lives in a world of delusions like you to be able to see the truth, and frankly, it matters not. I didn’t even come here for you in the first place, so put your toy away and let me go about my work.”

“Shut up! I’m done listening to your bullshit. Put your hands up, or else!” I was done with this. Any hint of curiosity or desire I might have had to hear her explain herself was gone. This was ending now, and I had already accepted the inevitability of where this was heading.

“Ah, now that is a shame… What would Merry think if she saw you acting like this? Disappointed in you, I’m sure.” Yukari looked off into the distance in mock thought, tapping her chin with her finger.

I snapped. Hearing Merry’s name spill from this monster’s lips was the final straw. I didn’t think. I looked at her, but didn’t see her. I couldn’t.

I slammed the trigger, fully intending to empty the weapon into her. The roar of a gunshot, the sound of glass breaking barely audible over the gun. It all happened at once, the cacophony combining with my emotions to create an utterly incomprehensible kaleidoscope of sensations.

Once again the aquarium went dark. My consciousness went with it.

X-X-X

“Ugh…”

“Please don’t move around too much!”

I opened up my eyes, groaning in pain. I felt something hard had smashed onto my head, causing me to black out. Looking around, I was currently resting on a park bench, with medical staff and Merry looking at me in worry. A lot of people were around with various expressions on their faces. A trail of smoke in the sky took my attention, and I turned around to see that it came from the aquarium. Its front area had been heavily damaged by something. An explosion?

Seeing it made me recall what happened just before I passed out.

“I can’t just stay here! Yukari, she’s... She’s still inside there! We need to stop her before-”

“Renko, please stop. Please, calm down.” Merry held me before I could stand up from the bench and pushed me back to lie down. The medical staff gave me a strange look. That would make sense. Everyone else in Japan only knew of the serial killer as JOKER.

Merry looked at me with worry in her eyes. “While we did find you away from the explosion, that doesn’t mean you can move around as if you’re healthy.”

“But-”

“You’ve been out cold for three hours. We have looked around. Nobody else was still inside. The culprit will already be off somewhere else by now.” Merry insisted, and I couldn’t help myself but relent with how stern she was about it.

It took me an hour before she would even let me sit normally. The medical staff went away as soon as my condition had been confirmed to be nothing worrying, and soon they were replaced by uniformed police officers.

“...That’s all I remembered.” I answered the police questions with what I remembered from the events happening before my encounter with Yukari. Something about that meeting rubbed me the wrong way so I decided not to say anything to it to them. The officers accepted my account of the events, and proceeded to tell me about what had been known about the explosion so far.

“Strange burnt flesh, huh. Could this be some sort of a suicide bombing attack?”

“At the same time, there was little to no trace of any conventional explosives - at least, none have been found so far. The police force will release an official statement once we have figured out the real cause here..”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.”

As we talked, I went to grab my handbag. My camera and phone were there, as well as my purse, but nothing else was there. I was surprised to not find my handgun there, but as I sat and thought about it more, I remembered that I had left it at home. There was no reason to carry it on an aquarium date, permit or not.

Once the police officers left me, only Merry was by my side. She leaned on my shoulders, looking content. Amidst the chaos of what was happening before us, her calm smile helped soothe my emotions. For now, I felt like not leaving this place. Merry held onto my shirt.

She asked me something.

“Renko, who is this Yukari you’re talking about?”

X-X-X

Usami Sumireko was asleep. She had a content expression on her face, as she had finished writing the continuation of her Renko’s story. Despite some unwanted elements in the story, she had decided to just follow up on what was already there, lacking any other ideas in that empty head of hers. And so, she wrote a continuation of her confrontation with one Yukari Yakumo.

It was, suffice it to say, disappointing.

Perhaps that was why, in the midst of this Dark Hour, as Usami Sumireko continued to sleep, her laptop was still up and running. On the screen was her story and one by one, words formed on it, despite no one being there to type anything.

If a story was already unsalvageable, the only thing that could be done to it was to make it a trainwreck worthy of admiration.

X-X-X

_Merry was in front of me. The barrel of my gun was locked on her body. On this rooftop, there was only the two of us. Away from the sea of humans far down below, it felt like the world belonged to the two of us at this time._

_Merry stood there with an unreadable expression. I said nothing, and my gun did not budge, even by an inch. There was nothing else I could say to her. She knew what she had gotten herself into. She knew what she was doing._

_As much as it pained me to, at least it was me that would put her down here._

_Maribel Hearn opened her lips._

_“Save the world by making me as a sacrifice. You really can be quite cruel sometimes, Renko.”_

_I remained silent. She was just trying to make it harder than it should be._

_“Just like always, you never want to listen to me. You never want to accept my side of the story. And now you’re here, playing the role of a hero in a story that isn’t even yours. Truly… hopeless.”_

_I stopped thinking._

_The sound of six consecutive gunshots broke the silence of the night, and then, the cracking sound of a body crashing to the pavement followed._

_I did my job. That was the right thing to do._

X-X-X

I woke up covered in cold sweat. Another nightmare. I had thought that I had become used to them already, but instead, I found myself struggling to even get up from my bed. My hands were shaking. As I pushed my body up from the bed, I felt my legs to be on the verge of giving in at any time. Merry was nowhere to be seen. My computer was still on, still showing different security videos running at the same time.

Perhaps that was the cause.

It had been ten days since the incident at the aquarium. Unwilling to let go of Yukari’s trace, I had thrown myself further into this case. I had abandoned my classes, everything, just to find a lead to capture that despicable woman. Countless cups of coffee and hours of lost sleep had been sacrificed too. I could taste it. I could feel it. Just one more breakthrough and I could bring Yakumo Yukari to justice.

But in a way, I felt that lately, I had grown a bit too distant from reality myself. I felt that things that I thought I had told others, they actually hadn’t gotten it from me. My memory had become a little fuzzy, it seemed. A look at the mirror confirmed it to me. I looked horrible. Continuing my investigation was tempting, but just one look at my current visage told me otherwise.

Maybe I needed a break.

For the first time in five days, I took a bath. It felt refreshing. I combed my hair and put my favorite ribbon on my braid, before dressing up with my favorite set of outfit. A white long-sleeved shirt, red tie, and black long skirt to complete it. With my signature hat on my head, I left my apartment at around 11 in the morning.

I had nowhere in mind as my destination, but that perhaps was for the best. I stopped worrying about such trivial things, and let my legs take me to wherever they please.  
It was a nice, sunny day outside. Had Merry been with me, this would have been an ideal day for a date. We could just sit together on a park bench, enjoying the view while eating ice cream. How long ago had it been since we had a talk about nonsense between us? This case had taken all that away from me. And that was all the fault of that serial killer, Yakumo Yukari.

I found myself tightening my fists in anger. Realizing what I was doing, I pushed the thought away and continued on my way.

Kyoto was surely a peaceful city, and I was thankful for it. I could not really stand the volume of tourists that flooded it year-long, but other than that, the atmosphere the place gave off was that of tranquil peace. Just walking around like this around the ancient capital, under the trees planted around by the government, I felt like my tenseness was gradually disappearing.

Or, well, that is what I would have said, but the thought of Yukari continued to invade my mind, over and over.

Just as I walked, however, I saw that a blonde-haired girl on a white dress walked past me. My instinct was to reach out to her, thinking that she was Merry. But, the hat she wore was different. I was sure I saw her as Merry at first, but on a more careful look, that was someone else instead.

Even so, I still recognized her regardless.

“Louise!” I called out to her. The blonde turned to face me. For a split second, her expression was that of worry, but it was soon replaced with a warm smile, as expected of her.

“A-ah! It’s nice to see you, Ren… I mean, Usami.”

“Just call me Renko, really. I guess we’re decently close for that… right?” While it was Louise that started off this interaction with awkwardness, ultimately I had to deal with that same awkwardness too. I was not someone that made friends actively. I had a lot of admirers, but none of them were people I was personally close with. This included Louise.

But without Merry around, I felt like I would go mad if I didn’t talk with someone else. Compromises had to be made.

“So… Renko.” Louise said that smoothly, but her expression itself was still reserved and hesitant. “You haven’t been in class for a long while, you know? Wouldn’t this be an issue?”

“You sound just like Merry, saying that.” I laughed a little. “I’m fine, really. My work just got the best of me. I’m sure I’ll be back proper soon without ruining this semester.”

“You look horrible.”

“Merry said that a lot too, yeah.”

“I see.” Louise looked downcast for a moment. Perhaps I was a bit too carried away with mentions of Merry. Even if she did not admit it, everyone knew that Louise had a crush on me. Rubbing my relationship with Merry in her face perhaps was not for the best. No wonder I couldn’t make friends.

“You know, why don’t we find somewhere to eat? It had been a while since we’ve done that, right?”

“Y-yeah, it has been a while.” Louise’s voice was a little distant. However, after a while, her smile returned. “That ramen place nearby seems nice, don’t you think?”

I had no objection to that idea, and so the two of us went there immediately. It was pretty nice, surprisingly. I was firmly quite faithful regarding my love for Merry, but Louise was quite cute. Perhaps blonde foreign transfer students were really my type all along. If Merry were not around, I could see her as my girlfriend instead.

Louise noticed me smiling to myself. I decided to push that thought as far away was possible from my mind for now.

We made our orders as soon as we found our seats. Sitting next to the counter side to side, I took a deep breath. Truth to be told, I had no idea what to even talk about here. Slowly but surely, I felt my image as the cool and dependable Usami Renko fading away. Thankfully, Louise was the one to break the ice.

However, the caveat was the topic she decided to talk about.

“So, Renko.... about JOKER…”

“Talking about this case is inevitable, huh?” I shook my head, feeling a little frustrated. However, with how Louise had already went so far here just so I could have someone to talk with, I felt it was cruel if I didn’t at least entertain this topic for at least just a little bit.

“What is it that you want to know about the case?”

“It’s just that, well, it’s not really about the case, but err… Merry talked to me about something. About someone you call Yakumo Yukari.”

“Wait, that’s supposed to be a secret!”

“It’s fine, I don’t really intend on telling anyone. It’s just that, well, everything about her feels nonsensical. Merry also said that you claimed she looked a bit like Merry. Just thinking about that, how you see the person you love in someone else, let alone someone like her, that must be torturous to you.” Louise’s voice felt distant, somehow. It was as if her mind was somewhere else as she spoke.

“Ultimately, I just got myself used to it. I can’t let that stop me from overcoming her challenge.” Our drinks arrived as I began to speak, so I took a moment to sate my thirst before continuing. “My love for the real Merry would be too strong for just a resemblance to ruin it.”

“Y-yeah… that makes sense.” Louise’s expression turned a little grim for a moment. “I don’t think you’d confuse Merry with someone else.”

Ah, I made a mistake again. I realized what was happening and almost panicked internally, even if I kept my cool outside. However, Louise didn’t react further, much to my relief. Both of us reached a silent agreement to just ignore what I just said.

“So, why did you ask about it, anyway? You don’t seem to be into the topic itself in the first place.”

“No, it’s not just that. It’s… well, that made me remember something. It’s… something happening a few months ago. I don’t think it had anything to do with this, but…” Louise looked so unsure about even continuing. Something about her body language made me feel concerned.

Thinking about it, she’s blonde and relatively tall for her age. As Louise took her time in saying what she had in mind, my thoughts wandered too. I began to wonder, could it be that she was connected to Yukari?

Staring at her for a while, I shook my head.

No, that was too farfetched of a suggestion. Louise wouldn’t be someone that’d connect herself with such an awful person. I knew her like the back of my hand. Her worries here would be something completely unrelated to Yukari. And so, I waited patiently for her to continue. Our food arrived not long after, but neither of us touched it.

Eventually, Louise was able to bring herself to continue.

“A few months ago I stopped by your apartment… you know, for some help with a project. When I arrived, I saw a girl on your apartment's balcony and-”

“Oh, that was probably just Merry.”

“She… she jumped.”

X-X-X

The break of dawn gave way for another day in paradise. I woke up, took a bath, and got myself dressed. A new day would mean a new start for the mundane routine of the life I had here. I gave my regards to the kindly old couple that let me stay with them, and left through the front door. The rustic feel of a rural community greeted me with its warmth.  
I took the time to stretch my arms.

Far from anyone that I knew, far from the life that I was used to, nevertheless, I felt at peace. Following a fragrant aroma, my feet led me to a nearby bakery. The owner greeted me with a smile. Just like the other mornings, he had prepared my daily order. With a cloth bag full of fresh bread, I returned to my home.

With this, my “today” had finally begun.

I had lost track, how long had I had been in this place. Awaking alone in a field of flowers, as if I had died and awakened in paradise itself. My first day in this “world” still felt like yesterday. Other memories had become fuzzy and vague in its place.

Perhaps, I had really died and been reborn. But that was not important right now.

In this tea house that I called “home”, I began serving the customers, just like the days before. In the midst of the cheer and tranquil, time passed without anyone being all the wiser about it. Day turned to night, and someone else took my shift as the place began serving alcohol. It was at these times that I usually went outside, and looked up to the stars.  
I was never the one to be good at reading the stars, but I still held some form of fascination for them. They were all so pretty, so distant… deep inside, I felt that it would be an impossibility for humans to ever reach out to. It was a beautiful reminder of humanity’s own limitations, but it felt empowering too, at the same time.

They too, reminded me of a promise long-forgotten. A promise that no longer mattered to me. Our promise.

To go on many journeys, to see the different worlds that were reflected through my eyes. A promise that once gave me meaning, but now, all I could feel was happiness without it.  
Now, I was truly free. In this “paradise”, I could go wherever I wish, without anyone dragging me down.

Someday, I want to go outside the village, to see more of the fascinating world that lies beyond it. Everyone says everything outside of the village is just filled with monsters, but I don’t care. Nothing can stop me now. No one will prevent me from doing that. All the dangers only made it more and more exciting to think about.

And if I die? Well, I would be okay with that. I will just blame my death on you and pass in peace.

After all, you are the one that sent me here,

Usami Renko.

X-X-X

Someone was tampering with her story.

With eyes full of anger, Sumireko stared at the documents on her laptop, taking note on all the parts that she was unfamiliar with. There was no more mistaking it. Someone wanted to ruin it. Even after she made new passwords, even after the folders and files themselves were protected by a password, someone managed to still mess around with her story.

This was unacceptable.

Who could be behind it all? She doubted that it was anyone from SEES. Even if they would’ve seen her, uh, write, she already made sure that there was absolutely no recording devices left in her own room. There would be no way for them to know her passwords, or to be this familiar with her writing.

It being her own doing was also very unlikely. This sort of writing was not something someone half-asleep could pull off.

In her anger, a name passed through her mind. Even if she hadn’t seen her for a long while… could it be…?

Sumireko sighed. Maybe there was no use in worrying too much about it right now. What was important now for her was recovering the old content of these documents.  
It’s not like there was anything she could do to Yakumo Yukari right now, anyway.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's best for me not to talk too much about these Renko chapters as to not spoil important details, so this chapter's notes will be short. Thank you for continuing to read this fic!


	17. I Can't Hear Your Voice

X-X-X

### Chapter 12: I Can't Hear Your Voice

X-X-X

Sumireko opened her eyes and saw her room was filled with a green hue. It was the middle of the Dark Hour and she was half-covered in her blanket. She blinked.

“Just when I finally get some sleep for once, I wake up randomly at night…” She groaned.

“Wait, didn’t this happen once before...”

Still half-asleep and her hair still messy, Sumireko was about to turn around and close her eyes again when she saw a person’s face very close to hers, their lips almost touching.

A young girl’s face, sculpted to perfection.

“Boo.”

Sumireko screamed and lunged backward, pushing her back up against the wall, the sudden shuffling of weight on her bed emitting a creaking noise. Now wide awake, her breathing turned uneven and her eyes were panicked. “You’re… Yukari!” She exclaimed.

The blonde little girl in a vintage purple dress standing gracefully in front of her bed giggled, “Oh? I thought you’d forget already. Maybe you’re not as hopeless as I thought.”

The surprise, however, turned into anger. Yukari’s smug expression was unbearable enough as it was. But more than that, Yukari had done something unforgivable. She had desecrated her holy text. She had desecrated Merry. Finally, Sumireko was able to confront her about it.

“Ooh, your glare is quite sharp today. Is that anger I see? Anger that, perhaps, aimed at how aimless your life is right now?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!”

“Sure, you tried to make friends, but fundamentally, nothing has changed, right? You’re still the same vulgar girl as always.” Yukari laughed. “Look at you, screaming bloody murder in front of this poor little me. Know some shame, will you? Or are you just that hopeless that you can’t even realize your vulgarity?”

Sumireko’s hand immediately went to the desk on the side of her bed, where she usually put her Evoker. But, it wasn’t there. Her hand frantically grasped for it, but the cold sensation of the metallic device was nowhere there. Yukari, who now sat on her table overlooking the window, spun the Evoker around her finger to taunt Sumireko.

“Give it back to me! Give Renko back to me, or else…”

“How cute, you gave this gun a name! You sure are obsessed with that Usami Renko, aren’t you?” Yukari’s laughter stopped for a moment. Her glare became sharper, and her playful taunting stopped too. Contrasting with her words, Yukari was being serious now.

“I’ll keep this with me for now. I would rather not see you doing something that would be exceedingly stupid, even for someone like you.”

Sumireko growled incoherently, but Yukari ignored that as she continued. “Because you insist on it, I’ll accept your accusation. Yes, I am the one ruining your story. Hm, no, I don’t like how that sounds. I would prefer to call it an improvement. Nobody sane would want to sit through your putridly self-indulgent writing, so I took it upon myself to improve it, for your sake. Aren’t I generous?”

“Enough!” Sumireko’s hand went towards her spear instead, which she also kept close to her bed. Filled with anger and not thinking straight, she grabbed the spear and-

Sumireko’s eyes fluttered open. She could see a sickly green light pouring into her room from the window. It was still the Dark Hour. Her body felt… heavy. She could feel a weight pressing down on her stomach. Reflexively, she tried to sit up.

But her body wouldn’t move.

Was this… sleep paralysis? She tried again, but her body didn’t budge a single inch. It was like it was being held down by phantom chains, an intangible binding that she couldn’t break free from. She blinked into the darkness as panic began to boil up inside her, and then-

Sumireko’s blood ran cold. A small hand gently cupped her chin, and she found a pair of purple doll-like eyes staring down at her, set above a wicked, pitiless smile. Her mind screamed, frantically sending whatever signals it could to her body to get it moving. An arm, a leg... _anything._ She had to move! Her body had been transformed into a prison. A coffin. No… she didn’t want to die like this.

Yukari’s face drew closer, her unreadable, lifeless eyes unblinkingly transfixed on Sumireko’s. All Sumireko could do was wait for the inevitable. Desperately, she hoped that someone would come in and save her. Reimu or Marisa. Sanae. Even Mitsuru. Sumireko screwed her eyes shut. It was all she was allowed to do.

But no attack came.

Yukari whispered into her ear. “Let’s just put that topic aside, shall we? If you would like to see your story remain untouched, then I would like to see you try harder, too.” Her tone was sick with mock sweetness.

A chill traveled down Sumireko’s spine. It was inexplicable. Something about this girl invoked an indescribable, primordial fear within herself. Her anger, her energy to resist, all were sapped away. Looking satisfied, Yukari got off from Sumireko, and she felt like the control of her limbs had returned to her once more. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to move. She couldn’t do anything.

The only emotion she felt as she saw Yukari return to her desk was _fear._

“W...what are you?” She pointed at the young girl- no, the demon. Her porcelain-like body was sickening to look at underneath the green hue of the Dark Hour. Nothing about her was human-like. Not even Doremy unsettled her as much as Yukari did here.

“I am Yakumo Yukari. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

“What are you?” Sumireko pressed, her fear mixing with a new frustration.

“Yakumo Yukari.”

_“What are you?”_ She shouted.

“I’m your best friend.”

Yukari smiled. All of those statements were delivered with the same mocking, smug expression. Distressed, Sumireko retreated to the far side of her bed, hugging her legs. To her, this all felt unreal. This was just a bad dream, as indicated by her sleep paralysis earlier.

But Yukari was still there. She was still looking at her, taunting her.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Sumireko said, barely managing to choke out the words.

“Because a certain contract you signed has bound us together, as inconvenient as it is.” Yukari coughed. “Although, do not associate me with that creep Doremy. She inconveniences me as much as she inconvenienced you.”

How did she even know about Doremy? The implications of this perhaps were important, but Sumireko couldn’t bring her mind at this time to think about why. Both of them were creepy and annoying, and that was all that was important for her now.

“Why are you here?”

“Because I had to remind you that tomorrow night is a full moon. That’s it. I just also decided to amuse myself a little with you.”

“I’m not your toy.”

“Say you.” Yukari sighed. “Consider this payback. As if how you treated me in your story is any better.”

Sumireko refused to accept that reasoning. Sure, she did make Yukari into a one-note villainous figure so far, and she did overindulge herself in describing the Yukari form that she imagined in her mind. But the way Yukari treated her now only made Sumireko’s desire to push Yukari into that role more and more powerful.

“You know, I didn’t expect you to still be properly clothed tonight.” Yukari pulled out Sumireko’s laptop from its bag and began caressing it with her fingers. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to watch you at night? How many times I had to watch you moan “Merry, Merry, ah!” like some kind of insane chant? Awful, awful, that was just plain maddening.”

This was just unfair. Yukari seemed to know everything about herself, all of the weaknesses that she could exploit to annoy her, all while Sumireko didn’t even know what to do to fight back against her. There was nothing she knew about this Yukari at all.

“What I do with Merry is our business, not yours.” She retorted.

“Is it really?” Yukari paused. Her caressing of Sumireko’s laptop halted as she gripped it firmly. For a moment, she looked like she was going to throw the laptop to the floor, but she relented at the last second.

“Nevermind that. How’s that Renko doing, anyway?” Yukari shifted the topic. Hints of anger could be felt coming from her tone.

“That’s none of your business.” Seeing what happened, bits of her earlier anger returned to Sumireko. She grasped the sheet of her bed. She felt like she was ready to jump at Yukari should she cross a line with either Merry or Renko.

“Hmph, alright,” Yukari said with a mocking tone. She let go of the laptop and her gaze returned to Sumireko. “You know, if you won’t tell me, don’t you think I should just go and see for myself?”

Yukari gripped Sumireko’s Evoker and pointed it at her own temple. Sumireko’s eyes widened. Her mind stopped thinking. She leaped forward in an attempt to stop Yukari. However, the very passing of time itself felt like it had slowed down. Yukari, with her signature condescending smile, pulled the trigger.

And splattered her own brains on the wall around her.

X-X-X

No matter how much she tried to stop thinking about what happened last night, Yukari’s words and the grotesque end to the encounter continued to haunt Sumireko for the rest of the day. Even going out with Sanae to the arcade didn’t help as a distraction, and Sanae instead noticed the bags on her eyes as well as her exhausted expression.

“That should be enough for today. I’ll see you later, Sanae.” Sumireko said, stifling a yawn.

“Alright… but you’ve been a little restless since morning. Are you really alright?” Sanae asked.

“I’m fine. It was just a disturbing dream, nothing else.”

And so, the two parted ways. Sumireko left the arcade while Sanae was still there, still playing the same fighting game the two just played. It didn’t take long before Sumireko regretted the decision to leave however, as Yukari’s barbed words only amplified itself on her head now that she was alone. She pulled out her phone, only to be met with an empty signal bar.

“Damn it!” Sumireko cursed. She thought that perhaps browsing the internet could help distract her, but it seemed that even a place like Paulownia Mall was not free from the recent random service blackouts. On top of that, it would have to break just when Sumireko desperately needed it most too.

So instead, she checked for the time.

It was still only 5 in the afternoon. Sumireko sighed in relief. At least they didn’t stay out playing until it was midnight or something. That would cause issues.

With it still being early, Sumireko decided to look around instead. Mitsuru had given her a bit too much money- more than what Sumireko would be comfortable with, but it was only these days that she realized that she could just spend it all on cute accessories that hadn’t really dreamed of buying. Panda coin purse, panda stickers, plushies, perhaps even some Zener cards and a new hat?

On second thought, Sumireko shook her head to the last ones. That would only get her mocked. Even with how she had money now, there were still restrictions she couldn’t ignore what she could buy.

Sumireko’s eyes wandered around the mall from store to store until a flash of red against the crowd of mallgoers caught her attention. _Was that…?_ She blinked. Visible amidst the waves of the nameless masses was a familiar face. Reimu’s face.

Reimu was normally so elusive outside of her SEES work that stumbling upon her like this was like seeing a shooting star. Also, it allowed Sumireko to observe her. Maybe it was a little mischievous, but it was just too rare a chance to pass up. What kind of stores did Hakurei Reimu visit at the mall? Would she see Reimu wolf down a meal (or two) at the food court? Would she discover some secret, guilty pleasure of Reimu’s? Maybe she would wander into some obscure store that nobody else knew existed. Thoughts of Yukari evaporated from her mind. Sumireko was getting a little excited now.

Amusing herself with these thoughts, she began tailing Reimu, making sure to keep her distance. In the Abyss, her senpai seemed like she had eyes in the back of her head, so even in a crowded place like this Sumireko was afraid she might be spotted.

The older girl strode through the mall, swerving around other people as they obstructed her path. It was difficult to tell whether she had a destination in mind or if she was just being her typical unintentionally rude self, but after passing a few stores, Sumireko was confident that she, indeed, was going somewhere specific. But where? By that point, they had passed most of the stores, and soon there would be nowhere left to go. The only thing left in that direction was a back alley, but as far as Sumireko knew there was nothing there. It was kind of a weird spot, honestly, conspicuous in its complete pointlessness. Or so she thought.

Sure enough, Reimu finally made her way out of the crowd and headed into that pointless alley. Now Sumireko was really curious. There was nothing back there… right? Was she going to meet someone? Or maybe it was just one of many places Reimu liked to disappear to when she wanted to be by herself. Either way, she wanted to know.

But, there was a problem. Sumireko would have nowhere to hide. If Reimu really was doing something private then surely she would spot Sumireko following her into that alley, no matter how stealthy she tried to be. Sumireko waffled a little as this realization struck her, and her previous enthusiasm began to dissipate when faced with the possibility of Reimu getting mad at her.

“… I’ll wait.” She said to nobody in particular. She didn’t have the nerve to try and follow Reimu, but she could at least check out the alley after Reimu had left… whenever that might be. Yes, that was the best she could do. Thinking this, Sumireko took up a position nearby, trying to appear inconspicuous. Idly she wondered if Renko would scold her for letting her quarry escape, or praise her judgment in knowing when to break off an ill-fated pursuit.

Sumireko leaned against the wall and took out her phone to try and blend in. Knowing that she was engaged in a stakeout made her feel a little self-conscious, but to a passerby, she shouldn’t have looked like anything more than a normal highschool student just hanging around. She hoped. She also wished that the phone service would start working again.

It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes, though, before Sumireko spotted Reimu coming back out of the alley and proceeding to quickly disappear back into the crowd of the mall. That was quick. Was it really some kind of meeting then? Sumireko remained in her spot, waiting to see if anyone came out after her.

One minute passed.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Nobody.

Sumireko was getting a bit impatient now. If Reimu hadn’t met anyone, then what was she doing back there? Sumireko began to move towards the alley. If someone really was back there then she could just pretend she was lost or going back there for something else. It’s not like she wasn’t allowed back there or anything. Despite thinking that, she was a little nervous as she peeked around the corner into the dead-end alleyway.

It took her a few moments to really understand what she was seeing. The alley itself was rather narrow and was empty, except for a door on the far wall… no, it was a door in front of the wall, disconnected from any surface. Not a normal door, either. Rather than something that belonged in a mall, it looked more like the door to a train station, and though it had windows, all she could see through them was an eerie blue light that poured out into the alleyway. Sumireko had seen this door before.

The Velvet Room.

Doubt crept within her. Doremy was close to the last person she wanted to talk with right now. In the first place, even with her insistence that they would meet again, there was no reason for the two to meet. Sumireko was not the Wild Card. That should have been the end of their relationship.

But her hand went to the door handle, and it took her a moment to realize why. Something else came into her mind. The image of Yakumo Yukari.

_They both know each other._

With that thought on her mind, Sumireko pushed aside her doubts and opened the door before her.

X-X-X

What lay before her was a train station, floating amidst the infinite vastness of space. A familiar-looking train was stopped by, and there was no one else around in the train station itself. The lamps of the station were stars. Their light was blinding, really. The vastness of space disoriented her, but Sumireko pushed on regardless.

Slowly but with conviction, she opened the door into the train, and headed straight to the Velvet Room itself, where Doremy Sweet was.

“Greetings, my dear guest. I am truly glad that you decided to return.”

Doremy got the first say of things, of course, and before Sumireko realized it, she was already seated in front of Doremy, with a hot cup of tea presented before her.

“Does your presence here indicate your wish to become my acquaintance?”

“A-absolutely not!” Sumireko let out an outburst after what Doremy said, to which Doremy responded with a nod.

“I see. It is a shame, but perhaps I can still manage living here, all alone on my own…” Giving Sumireko a cat-like smile, Doremy brought the piping hot tea to her lips and took a sip from it. Sumireko was unamused that Doremy was trying to play the sympathy card here, not that it made sense for her to do so in the first place.

“Oh Igor, my dear friend, how did you forget to lend me one of your assistants?” Doremy mumbled to herself.

“Um… who is Igor?”

“He’s a friend of mine.” That was all Doremy said on the matter. Sumireko just nodded along, realizing that it was useless to push further when Doremy’s not interested in answering something. So instead, she asked for other things.

“Why is the train not moving?”

“Because the conductor is busy doing other things.”

“Is it an issue?”

“It’ll move just when it needs to.”

Sumireko ceased her small questions as she saw someone else approaching them. Surprisingly, it was another Doremy, but she was wearing a maid outfit. Sumireko hated to admit it, but she looked cute in it. On her hand was a covered metal tray that she brought to the table between Sumireko and Doremy. As she opened it, what was inside was… some sort of fancy soup. Sumireko didn’t know what kind it was.

“This new turn of events is admittedly, quite pleasant.”

“On your end, perhaps.” Sumireko refrained from even tasting the soup, despite its temptations.

“Indeed, my dear guest. I did find your presence here to be quite fascinating in itself.” As Sumireko had left it untouched, the one that took the soup was Doremy herself. “But while I would love to treat us both to pleasantries that shall last for hours, didn't you come here for another reason entirely instead?”

“...Right, all of your nonsense had distracted me.” Sumireko pushed her gaze up to look at Doremy straightly and took a deep breath.

“Tell me more about Yakumo Yukari.”

“Hm… this is quite troubling.” Doremy paused.

“Back then you said you don’t know anything about her, but I have proof that the two of you actually do. No, perhaps you two are working together. Tell me the truth here, Doremy Sweet.”

However, Doremy was unresponsive. She seemed to be deep in thought. How much of everything did Doremy lie to her about? She wasn’t just satisfied with being cryptic and now just outright made lies to her face, it seemed.

“Your question is jeopardizing my position, my dear detective. How much do you want to know?”

“Everything.” Sumireko was firm.

“I can’t promise you anything.”

It was expected, but Sumireko’s expression still turned sour. Of course, there was no way it would be that easy for her to get anything out of Doremy. But she wasn’t going to stop just because of that.

“What is Yakumo Yukari?”

“A hole shaped like a person, a hole which is filled with regrets of ages past.”

“...You are messing with me, aren’t you?”

“Not necessarily.” Doremy shrugged. “As your host in this Velvet Room, my task is to guide you without disrupting this story. At the same time, I am not heartless, so if I can assist you, then I shall.”

“None of what you just said made any sense.”

“If you say so.” Doremy ignored Sumireko’s frustration and took another sip of her tea. “I do try to do my best for you, but it is hard sometimes to understand the viewpoint of an actor in this story, as one of the audience.”

“...I’ll just start ignoring your nonsensical ramblings, for the sake of my own sanity.” Sumireko finally took a sip from her own tea. It helped her calm down a little bit. Whether she really wanted to help her or not, Doremy was the opposite of trustworthy. If she had a stick so far up her behind that she saw Sumireko’s life as just a story for her to enjoy, then wasn’t what she currently doing more or less making jokes at Sumireko’s own expense?

In a way, that too was a form of condescension that was as irritating as Yukari’s.

“How did you know about Yukari?” She challenged.

“Hm. That is a problematic question to ask.” Doremy took a moment to pause, thinking about what she should answer it with. “I suppose I can say that she was a previous client of mine. Other than that, our paths are separate.”

“Client? Does this mean…?”

“Perhaps. I never bestowed any power to her. As I presented the document of the contract to her, she stole it away from me and I never saw her again since. As I said, she truly was someone without a dream of her own.”

Sumireko had no idea on what she should think about the information Doremy just gave her. Wouldn’t this mean that Yukari was a wild card herself? But… last night, she couldn’t even summon a Persona of her own. Yukari blew her own brains out before disappearing as the Dark Hour ended. Moreover, she clearly wasn’t _human._

Well, for one, a human would be dead without a brain.

“Why does Yukari keep bugging me?”

“I don’t know.”

“How did she even know my secrets? And why does she even try to mess with my story?”

“I don’t know either.”

“What do you even know?”

“Enough things to do my job.”

Unlike Yukari, Doremy was inhuman in her mindset. That was what Sumireko was sure of now. If there was one thing that Sumireko could understand Yukari for, it was that all her mockery and insults felt _human._ Sure, physically she was anything but, but at least she could feel her anger. Doremy didn’t have even that. She was something else entirely wearing a human skin, who eerily emulated the life of a human but ultimately being anything but. Even in this conversation, it felt like Doremy was in an entirely different world from Sumireko as she spoke to her.

Was she even really benevolent, in the end?

“I do wonder. Is all this sudden curiosity regarding Yakumo Yukari a result of a recent happening?” With Sumireko’s silence, it seemed that Doremy took it as a chance to ask a question of her own.

“Ah…” Sumireko wasn’t sure how to respond. She took a moment to think of what she would even say, and what were things that she should absolutely not say to Doremy.

“Well… last night Yukari visited me, and she kept taunting and mocking me unprovoked. And she made a comment about you being a nuisance to her, so I thought you could actually tell me something to get back at her. But apparently not.”

“Is that so?” Doremy’s expression did not change, but she remained quiet for a few moments, her eyes were on Sumireko.

“Hm. While I could not say anything about her that would not break this story, there is something that I can say to help you. Have you put some thought into what she is saying?”

“What do you mean?”

“I simply believe those insults Yakumo Yukari hurled at you were not aimless. She wanted to say something to you. Don’t you think you should put more thought into it?”

As Doremy became quiet, Sumireko sank her head on the headrest of her seat. She wasn’t sure how she should take what Doremy said. It was, for once, sound advice. Perhaps Yukari’s anger did come from somewhere. Perhaps she was there to serve some sort of role. Doremy did say that Yukari was regret made manifest. Whose regrets, however? Her own, or…?

But, Sumireko stopped herself. Would it even be worth it? Was there really anything more to Yukari’s insults than just the pettiness of a demon? Moreover, would bothering to see another side of Yukari lead to anything good? Yukari so far had used many of her most private secrets against her, and she had also defiled Merry with her own hands. For someone who was hurling so much abuse at her, Sumireko didn’t see any reason why she should be the one to work on reconciling with her.

Her thoughts, however, went towards one of the things Yukari said. How if she wanted to save her story from Yukari’s meddling hands, she would have to “try harder”, whatever Yukari actually meant by that.

Hm, perhaps that might be it. She could catch Yukari just as she started defiling her story, and if she confronted her then, she should be able to end her torments once and for all. That way, Yukari would be on the defensive. Sumireko would be the dominant side of the argument from the start.

Whatever Yukari would try then, Sumireko should be able to counteract it.

Nodding to herself, she stood up from her seat.

“Thank you for your suggestion, I guess. I hope I won’t have to meet you ever again.”

“I am glad to see my words be of service. I hope that we meet again in the immediate future.”

X-X-X

“That Doremy… what even is her deal, anyway?”

Stepping out of the Velvet Room and returning to the familiar physicality of the Paulownia Mall’s alley, Sumireko was grumbling to herself. She did appreciate that she now had some sort of plan on what she would do against Yukari’s erratic appearances, but even so, talking with Doremy had drained her substantially.

She pulled out her phone again. It was close to six. Sumireko felt that she had some time for more shopping now, but before she could do it, a tap on her shoulder stopped her.

“Usami. Kirijo is expecting us all in the dorm’s Command Room. There is something important that she had found.”

“W-waaaaah! Hakurei-san, you’re startling me…!” Sumireko felt like she almost had a heart attack. Naturally, it was Hakurei Reimu that was there, but it didn’t stop Sumireko from being unpleasantly surprised.

“I saw you trailing me, so I turned around and waited here while you went inside.”

“Y-you stalked me?” Sumireko was aghast.

“You did it first.”

Having that pointed out to Sumireko made her sigh. Reimu made a perfectly good point here. Sure, unlike Reimu, Sumireko wasn’t a cryptid that could appear and disappear on a whim, but she stalked Reimu first, so it was only fair that Reimu turned the table on her. Still, between Marisa and Reimu, Sumireko wondered why she kept getting spotted. Perhaps it was just bad luck, or the two were just naturally so good at detecting stalkers.

“Aaanyway, let’s just return to the dorm them, senpai.”

Without saying anything more, Reimu only nodded and led the way for Sumireko. As the two left the mall and into the train station, Sumireko continued to observe Reimu. Something about her made it feel like she was uncomfortable. Was it because of her? Sumireko could only wonder. Even on the train, the two sat apart from each other. Sumireko wanted to ask about what was wrong, but as always, Reimu intimidated her too much.

And thus, in this awkward silence between each other did the two arrive on the dorm’s command room, where Mitsuru and everyone else was already waiting for them both.

“Please sit down, Usami, Hakurei.” With a gentle yet commanding tone, Mitsuru addressed them both. Sumireko decided to sit next to Sanae, who seemed to be a bit busy thinking about something else to notice Sumireko until she was there. In the meantime, Reimu sat at the opposite side of Mitsuru’s, while Marisa, as soon as Reimu sat, moved to sit right next to her with her trademark stupid grin as she did so. Ikutsuki was there too, sitting next to Mitsuru. And so, with everyone already making themselves comfortable, Mitsuru looked around the room before starting the meeting proper.

“I understand that this is quite the unfortunate timing for a meeting to be arranged, and in such short notice too, but both myself and the Chairman had managed to complete our research regarding the recent sporadic communication blackout in this city.

Tonight, all of you will be going on a hunt.”

Sumireko looked at Mitsuru’s direction in surprise. That was sudden. What happened? Was it the doing of a Shadow? Sanae and Marisa seemed to be taking what Mitsuru said with a similar reception as her, while Reimu was being her usual disaffected state in the midst of all this.

“A hunt? Senpai, what do you mean by this?” Sanae was the first one to speak up about her confusion.

“Of course, we will be hunting Shadows. It was hard for us to believe at first, but the Chairman recent research showcased that indeed, the signal blackout was the side effect of a Shadow’s presence.” With a tone of assuredness, Mitsuru replied to Sanae. Sumireko looked at her, and the bags on her eyes were clear on her face. She was losing sleep over this and was seemingly too pumped up about it to care.

“Or multiple, we couldn’t be sure about that just yet.” Ikutsuki hastily added. Ikutsuki then turned to Mitsuru and said something that Sumireko couldn’t quite hear to her. Mitsuru did not seem to be liking what she heard, but befitting of a refined person such as her, she took whatever was said gracefully and returned to her seat, letting Ikutsuki be the one to continue the briefing.

“Despite this breakthrough, we still don’t know anything about this Shadow, or Shadows. So, rather than a hunt, it will be more of an investigation.” As he said that, he used a remote to showcase the map of the city on the large screen on the side of the room.

On there, three areas were given a glaring red dot over it.

“These three locations were the places where the communication disruption had been most consistent. Thus, we will split the four of you into three. Kirisame will be investigating the eastern residential area, Hakurei will go to the Industrial Area, while Kochiya and Usami will pay a visit to the Naganaki Shrine.”

The four of them nodded in response.

“Mind that our goal today is not a complete resolution of this issue just yet. It is best to not put too much risk on yourself and focus on gathering information on the area rather than defeating the Shadows there. Should you find anything other than the usual Shadows, retreat immediately.”

Sumireko nodded. That was reasonable. She silently hoped that she and Sanae wouldn’t be the one unlucky enough to find the cause, but the idea of what if she did was exciting in its own right too.

And thus, the meat of the meeting ended, and what left after were just idle chatter and anxiousness before the time where they all would go out in this mission. It was a welcome distraction. The immediate threat of a Shadow became her focus now, and she could feel that her other worries evaporate. While sure, Shadows could get her killed, but since Sanae’s there too, she felt that she wouldn’t have much to worry.

So this was how it felt for her to get used to SEES’ rhythm.

It was half-past ten when the four of them left the dorm. Amid the night, two girls ran across the streets in a hurry. Both her and Sanae were carrying a peculiar-looking bag on their back, the bag where they store their weapons in what was hopefully an inconspicuous manner.

“Hurry up, Usami-san!”

“Alright, alright! I’m already running, Sanae!”

Sumireko was running out of breath. Sanae, in the meantime, was looking very eager instead. The two of them were approaching the shrine’s location. Mitsuru’s voice on the other end of their communication system was what kept Sumireko focused.

<”You two soon will enter the blackout zone. Be careful.”>

And then, nothing. Static overtook whatever else Mitsuru might have said there as the two reached the stairs leading to the shrine. While the shrine was located inside of the city, it still felt that the two were already out of the city’s bound, what with the small forest that surrounded the shrine itself. It gave it a tranquil feel to the area.

As pleasant as the place was though, Sumireko found that the steps to the shrine came from hell itself.

“Hah… hah… my legs are dying, Sanaeeeee….”

“Maybe it’s a good time for you to consider joining a sports club, Usami-san.” Sanae only giggled at Sumireko’s misery. Compared to how drained Sumireko was from climbing the stairs, Sanae looked as fresh as she had been when she was still at the bottom.

Eventually, Sanae reached for her bag and brought out a bag of bread and a water bottle. “It would be a while until the Dark Hour hits. Let’s catch our breath and prepare ourselves.”

“Thanks.” Sumireko gulped down most of the bottle in one go and doused her head with the rest to cool herself off.

“The volleyball club is still accepting you know? I’m sure Rio will be delighted to see you there.”

“Ahah… I’m sure she will be.” Joining the volleyball club was the last thing Sumireko would consider at this point. Even if it was the only one that was still open for recruitment at this point, the horror stories about that Rio's regime in the club more or less scared her off from doing so. But Sumireko couldn’t just admit that in front of Sanae. “I don’t think I have the time for a sports club. My schedule’s already messy enough as it is.”

“But you’re the one student that always immediately goes home after school…” Sanae sighed. “Though, I can imagine. Going into a club you’re not interested in won’t lead to anything good.”

“I’m surprised though, you never asked me about joining your club instead. How is the Archery club, anyway?” Sumireko didn’t actually have any desire to join the Archery Club either, but she did notice this oddity. To spend time before the mission, she decided to push it to Sanae to sate her curiosity.

“Well, there’s only two real members of the club now. Just me and Takeba-san. A lot of people joined, apparently because I’m there… but many just dropped out or never bothered to come to practice. And between the two of us, Takeba-san is, well, the one that took it more seriously than me.” Sanae let out a small giggle. “She can get pretty overbearing to me, so I sneak out of practice sometimes. But her tenacity is truly something else.”

“So that was why…” Sumireko’s voice trailed off.

Right now, there were only the two of them around the shrine. It was the first time Sumireko was here, but it made sense with how late it was at night. A stray Shiba Inu wandered around, which Sanae watched with a smile on her face. Were they not in a mission right now, Sanae would probably play with the dog already. Sumireko felt that Sanae was a natural fit with the atmosphere of a shrine. Perhaps it was something she could ask her about.

“Do you like visiting shrines, Sanae?”

“O-oh?” Sanae turned to Sumireko, surprised. Silence befell her for a moment before she replied. “You’re right, yeah. Shrines are nice and tranquil, so when I’m feeling a little down, I like sitting here and just seeing people pray.”

“So back in your hometown too, you like to hang out near a shrine too?” Sumireko asked. On Sumireko’s end, she only ever visited a shrine whenever her aunt asked. She was just not a particularly spiritual person, and she couldn’t even enjoy the festivities whenever any events were going on. So, she was unfamiliar with all this.

“You can say that, yeah.” Sanae became a little ponderous as her gaze lifted upwards, towards the full moon above them. “Particularly for this shrine though, I like to help out when I have the time. Cleaning the yard, playing with the dogs, all that helps calm me down.”

“You’re too kind, Sanae…”

“Actually, on that note… you should check out the services that this shrine provides sometimes, Usami-san.” Sanae’s eyes lit up suddenly. “Apparently you can get smarter if you pray in this shrine right before a test, and the fortune box there is really good at predicting your luck for the next day! The Inari shrine too-”

“...I take that back, you’re now sounding like an overexcited salesman.”

“Oh, do I?”

“Moreover, if the shrine worked like that, your quiz scores wouldn’t be as mediocre as they usually are, Sanae.” Sumireko retorted.

“...Says the bottom of the class.” Sanae laughed. It was a surprisingly unrestrained, earnest laugh. Sumireko was taken aback by it, but the purity of that laugh made her smile. It was strange, thinking about it this way, but in this shrine away from the rest of the city, where no one else was there aside from the two, it felt like they had the entire world for themselves.

“You’re really cute when you laugh like this, Sanae.” Sumireko was not thinking and said the first thing on her mind. It felt like that Sanae, intentionally or not, had lowered her guard too around her. Something about that filled her with happiness.

The laughter eventually stopped. It was fine with Sumireko. She had lost track of time.

Sanae hadn’t said anything yet. It too was fine with Sumireko.

Sanae left her side. Only then Sumireko realized something was amiss.

The sky had turned green.

_“There it is,"_ Sanae said, barely audible under her breath. Sumireko could feel her heart racing. A shadow was cast on the ground around where the two were from above. Gathering her courage, Sumireko looked upwards.

A giant sparrow floated above the two of them.

It roared.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter time! Yukari and Doremy are both quite a pain to deal with, aren't they? I hope their segments didn't end up being too cryptic.
> 
> Unlike in the previous version, I decided to take it more slowly with Sanae's character arc, and so this chapter focuses more on Sumireko herself. The arcade scene went by in a more peaceful manner compared to the old one too (lol). 
> 
> Chapter title this time is based on the lyrics to Diao Ye Zong's The beautiful world. 
> 
> "Even though I have you beside me,  
For some reason, I can’t hear your voice."
> 
> There aren't much else to bring up here I suppose. Thank you for sticking with this story so far, and I hope all of you look forward to the next chapter too!


	18. Chapter 13: This, Fair Lorelei Has Done.

X-X-X

### Chapter 13: This, Fair Lorelei Has Done

X-X-X

A pale green light tinted the scenery around them, pulling the old shrine into another world. Around them, the trees seemed to draw closer, whispering of unseen threats lurking just out of view. At the center of this altered space, a Shadow of truly frightening proportions loomed, its imposing silhouette solemn against the full moon. Its giant wings flapped slowly, far too slow to keep it aloft, yet it remained suspended there as if held in place by an unseen force. Betraying Sumireko’s expectations, it hadn’t attacked after its initial cry. Instead, it was completely still... silent, not giving any other indication that it even knew they were there. What was it waiting for?

Sumireko stood there, white knuckles gripped around the shaft of her spear. Her heartbeat was out of control. Squinting into the darkness, she could make out no distinguishing features of the entity other than its obvious avian form, and it wasn’t until she felt Sanae tugging on her sleeve did she break her stare.

The other girl’s expression did little to encourage Sumireko. She was almost completely stone-faced, yet a hint of fear could be seen in her eyes. And, in the sickly light of the Dark Hour her ghostly white face and emerald eyes looked unusually vivid to Sumireko. She said nothing, only nodding towards a path leading away from the shrine and into the woods. Sumireko couldn’t help but feel reluctant. She knew that it made sense to run for cover… something so large couldn’t follow them into the woods, but the edge of the forest was where the visible world ended. Would running into the dark really save them?

Sanae, however, didn’t wait for an answer. With a fearful urgency, the other girl began moving towards the wood’s edge, clearly expecting Sumireko to follow. Shaking off her hesitation, she trailed along behind Sanae, casting furtive glances backward as she went. She feared that as soon as the Shadow left her sight, it would be directly behind her next time she looked… that as soon as she averted her eyes, object permanence would cease functioning and that one hundred meters would be no different than one. When this hour between hours set in, she could no longer take the idea of ‘reality’ for granted.

Sumireko refocused. This wasn’t time to get lost in her own thoughts. She and Sanae were almost in the forest. Though they were the ones approaching the trees, to Sumireko it almost felt like the other way around... that the trees and the darkness were rushing up to meet them. Maybe it felt this way to Sanae, too. The other girl hesitated at the edge of the forest, casting a tentative glance back at Sumireko, and then to the still-stationary Shadow before facing the forest again. After a brief pause, she crossed the threshold.

Sumireko swallowed hard, instinctively hunching down and raising the tip of her spear as she followed Sanae into the dark woods. Gradually the light faded from their surroundings, and before long they had only the trees for company, with only a few errant moonbeams managing to penetrate the leaves above.

As the girls walked, Sumireko cast her gaze into the darkness around them, glaring into it for any sign of ambush. If she couldn’t see the Shadows then that meant they could be anywhere… or everywhere. Vigilant as she was, though, she wasn’t paying attention to what was right in front of her. Suddenly, the tip of her spear absent-mindedly found purchase, and her eyes snapped back to the front.

“Ow! Damn it, Sumireko!” Sanae hissed, back arched in surprise with her hand tending to the tender spot. Sanae was so surprised that she dropped her usual way of referring to Sumireko here.

“S-Sorry! Are you okay?” Sumireko sputtered as she immediately raised the spear in reflex, drawing it close in to herself. She couldn’t see Sanae’s expression very clearly, but it wasn’t difficult to imagine what kind of face she was making.

“Yeah… yeah, it’s fine. Sorry, Usami-san, I was just a little surprised.” Sanae’s tone softened and was even somewhat apologetic. Sumireko could feel herself relaxing, just a tiny bit.

“Ah… but Sanae, what are we going to do? That Shadow was huge… it was like...” A vision of the battle on top of the dorm flashed through Sumireko’s mind. That was the night when she had first summoned Renko. The night her life had truly been set down a different path. She had hoped to never repeat such an encounter, and the claims from the rest of her teammates that they had never seen a Shadow like that made her dare to think that it was, hopefully, unique. Of course, there wouldn’t be just one. Life wasn’t that convenient.

“...Usami-san?” Apparently she had noticed Sumireko’s little moment of introspection.

“Er, sorry. But, Sanae...” Sumireko needed direction. Fighting that Shadow was surely not possible for just the two of them, and being lost in a maze of trees with who-knows-what waiting for them wasn’t much of an improvement.

“I know, I know… Usami-san. We should just focus on getting away. I—

A-ah, behind you!” Sanae raised her voice as Sumireko spun around on her heel, bringing her spear to bear.

A single glowing eye bobbed up and down, piercing the darkness with unnatural golden luminescence. Its vertical, cat-like pupil was so sharp and narrow it almost seemed like it could cut Sumireko with its gaze alone.

“Persona!”

However, the first one to act was Sanae. She pulled the trigger to her Evoker and manifested Helen. A strong gust of wind tore through the space where the eye once was, but by the time the attack was done, no trace of the glowing eye remained.

Something was amiss.

Sumireko went to approach Sanae, wondering what had just happened. However, just as she got closer to Sanae, she saw Sanae’s eyes widen. Sumireko began to turn around, but she felt Sanae pull her away just as a strong blast of wind tore through the forest canopy where Sumireko once was, creating a hole in the ceiling of trees above that became illuminated by moonlight. From that hole, Sumireko gazed at the sight of the giant bird hovering right above them.

That was an incredibly close call. The two were shaken from what just happened before them, but they silently decided to make a break for it. They couldn’t risk getting hit by such an attack again. Moving through the darkness of the forest, the two made more noise than before in their haste, as the fear of being attacked grew within them.

The cawing of what seemed to be a bird resounded in the background. Through the bits of moonlight passing through the leaves above, a shadowed being followed the two’s every step. Every few moments, blasts of wind tore through the trees, always narrowly missing Sumireko and Sanae. The chance of escape seemed to be slim.

Sumireko could only wonder, were these wind blasts related to the eye that Sanae had attacked? Was it an omen, or perhaps something more?

Eventually, Sumireko stopped. She struggled to catch her breath. She found it difficult to even think about her current situation. She looked at Sanae in front of her. The bits of light filtering through the leaves above showcased the tension in Sanae's expression. Not even Sanae was prepared for dealing with something like this Shadow.

“L-let’s stop here for now,” Sumireko begged at Sanae. “I… can’t go on like this.”

“Usami-san!” Sanae yelled. “We must keep running! Otherwise, we’ll-”

“Sanae!” A glint of the golden eye appeared not far away from Sanae. Instinctively, Sumireko summoned Renko and slowed down the flow of time. It was only now that Sumireko was able to grasp the form of the creature that had been stalking them so far. It was a large, bird-like creature whose black feathers made it look as if it was fashioned out of sharpened metal. Its eye seemed to be attempting to track Sumireko’s movement.

There was no time to think about it further. Sumireko thrusted at the bird with her spear just as Renko fired sharp icicles into it. As time continued its normal flow, the impact of the blow was shown clearly. While the strike didn’t manage to deal much damage, the icicles struck true on the Shadow, tearing through its steel feathers with enough force to send it flying into a nearby tree.

One down.

“Sanae, let’s-”

Just as Sumireko turned around, she felt a gust of wind touching her skin. It felt like a gentle breeze, but in a moment the sensation was overtaken by excruciating pain, as she felt part of her skin being torn apart by the magic force. Sanae stood there, looking at her with a horrified expression.

Sumireko’s grip on her spear loosened. Sanae rushed to aid her. What just happened? Her grip on reality felt unclear to her. The next moment that she was able to properly understand was her resting her head on a tree as Sanae was worriedly working on something on her legs. Pain still dominated her thoughts, but looking at where she was moments ago, Sumireko realized what was happening.

She had managed to narrowly avoid being torn apart by the giant bird’s wind blast. With Sanae using torn clothing to cover where Sumi bled from the close call, she realized that she had been absurdly lucky, to be able to narrowly survive the attack like that.

Or… was it really luck? As the pain had subsided by a little, Sumireko thought of what happened during her ill-fated attack earlier. The moving eye of the smaller bird Shadow. Even if it had been too slow, it was definitely following Sumireko.

Sumireko recalled the shadow of this bird following wherever they went. And the first attack, with Sanae missing her Garu against it that almost led to the two of them being hit by the giant bird’s attack.

Could it be… this small bird was the one that decided where the giant one would fire its bombardment?

“Sa… Sanae.” Sumireko didn’t know whether she was in a position to speak right now, but she forced herself to regardless. “it's... It's using that bird as a crosshair...”

“Wait, what are you saying, Usami-san?” Sanae looked at her, confused.

“The giant bird… bombardment…” It was difficult to form proper sentences when a chunk of one’s skin felt like it had just been peeled off. However, despite that difficulty, Sanae’s eyes widened in response.

But Sumireko stopped there. Was it really fine to act based on this assumption? Shadows weren't human, but they weren't dumb. That umbrella Shadow back in the Abyss was enough proof of that. If the giant sparrow changed its strategy… What if there were more birds? What if the main enemy started attacking randomly? There were so many different possibilities that would undermine her hypothesis.

Silence fell between the two. Within this forest dyed in pale green, where time itself had stopped moving, Sumireko’s eyes went around, gathering what she could from her surroundings. The occasional large shadow cast by the giant bird passed by the hole created by its attack earlier. Following its own rhythm, that Shadow continued to circle above them, not doing anything else.

Perhaps there really was merit to this assumption.

“Usami-san, what should we do now?” Sanae asked her, her voice directionless. Sanae was afraid. Even now, Sumireko could feel her hands trembling as she took care of her wounds. But… Sumireko’s own hands were trembling too.

She was afraid. She was scared of this thing killing both of them. Escape seemed impossible. It was an imposing presence, something Sumireko felt was completely out of the two’s league. This was supposed to be part of life in SEES, but at a time like this, her doubts resurfaced.

However…

“Sanae, there’s none of the small birds around right now.”

A part of her had stopped caring about that doubt. Sure, she could die by moving forward, but staying where she was would mean certain death. She could huddle herself inside her room and rot away there, but by coming here, she could ensure her own survival.

_Stop thinking._ That was what she said to Renko back then. This felt dumb, for a detective like her to do/ But she had no other option. Her heart had spoken, and at a time like this... overthinking things could be dangerous too. Sumireko decided to trust her heart. And so, she spoke. Words without thought and filled with emotion came out of her lips.

“Let’s bring it down.”

“That’s… stop thinking nonsense, Sumireko!” Sanae raised her voice, trembling. Somehow, Sumireko found out that Sanae calling her by her first name felt nice. It was a tense situation, but Sumireko couldn’t help but smile.

“It will kill us! We need to follow what the Chairman said and run away from here as fast as we can!”

“I don’t think I can do that now, Sanae.” Sumireko answered weakly. She could move her legs, true, but she knew that running would be something out of reach for her with her current situation. “So let’s kill that Shadow instead.”

“Are you insane, Sumireko?” Sanae held Sumireko’s hands as her gaze went straight towards her. Sumireko could feel that she was still trembling. “What got into you? You already know how easily that thing can kill you! If you can’t run, then I’ll carry you out of here myself!”

“If it can harm us if we attack it, don’t you think it can harm us when we escape too?” Sumireko was trembling too. But not thinking at all made it easy for her to speak. Perhaps her reasoning was nonsense, but at least, she wanted to show Sanae that her decision was firm with it. “I’m afraid too, Sanae. I don’t want to die. But… I… perhaps this is our only chance to survive. So, let’s just try it and hope for the best.”

“Sumireko... “ Sanae gritted her teeth. The messy, scared, yet personally caring Sanae that was here was different from the pleasant yet distant Sanae that Sumireko had known so far. Her grip on Sumireko strengthened for a few moments before loosening. She was just as much at a loss as Sumireko was on what to do.

“Let’s.” Sanae weakly whispered. She let go of Sumireko, hiding her face from her as she did so as she helped Sumireko got back to her feet, even if Sumireko had to lean on the tree to remain standing for the time being.

The giant sparrow still circled above them without doing anything else. Its position was clear from where the two were, but the sparrow itself did not notice them yet. It was a clear opportunity.

“Renko!”

Pulling her trigger, the form of Renko manifested behind Sumireko. Next to her was Sanae, preparing a shot of her own. Sumireko focused her mind on the form of the bird. The two of them ultimately were just working off a hypothesis. Missing this shot could very well mean their end. As the giant bird continued its lazy movement, with a hand gesture Sumireko activated Renko’s slowdown.

Icicles formed in front of Renko as Sanae pulled the strings of her bow in slow motion. The pulsating winds of Garu gradually enveloped the arrow. In this slowed down time, Sumireko let loose her attack - a series of icicles rapidly being fired to her target.

The moment Renko fired the icicles, the time slow ended. Sumireko couldn’t keep it up for longer as she was right now. The arrow too, was let loose at this time.

Sumireko watched as the arrow was the first one to land on the Shadow. It struck one of its wings with enough force to dig a hole through it. And just as it reeled from the arrow, the icicles struck true, tearing apart the body itself.

They did not miss.

The Shadow let out a pained roar. It was clear that it was damaged - as the icicles disappeared, the holes left behind by them still remained. Black liquid rained from the Shadow to the forest floor, as if it was bleeding.

It was hurt. It was hurt, yet it did not die yet.

From the holes and the black liquid, three spheres formed around it. As if they were eggs, they eventually hatched into three of the smaller bird Shadows like earlier. With blinding speed, they took off into the night as suddenly as they appeared.

Sumireko and Sanae were silent. This was an outcome they knew could happen, but to see that it was the one fate decided was something too overwhelming for them to properly react to. The only thing the two could do was to stick close to each other.

It did not take long for one of the birds to find them. Sumireko struck it down with a strong stab from her spear, but she was too late. Its gaze was locked on to her as it went down.

She could feel a gentle breeze enveloping her body.

“Persona!”

Yet, that feeling stopped.

Above her, the large figurehead that was Helen had manifested just as the wind blast from the large Shadow would have struck Sumireko. Helen took the brunt of the attack into itself, to protect her. Sumireko could see the wooden figurehead cracking more and more. And Sanae too, her skin split and her blood poured as Helen took more and more damage. Sumireko wanted to scream, but she couldn’t.

Somehow, it eventually stopped. Helen had survived the bombardment. It remained floating above her.

No, that wasn’t it.

It had done more than that.

Sumireko felt that her body was being bathed by light. The pain she felt on her legs and on her back had subsided. It was a similar feeling as to when Reimu-

Sumireko looked upwards. Above her, Helen remained. However, the wooden figurehead had partially been broken, revealing the entity that was hidden underneath its surface. It was a grotesque-looking head, but most of it was obscured by what looked like a mirror on its face. The arms of the figurehead were clearly attached to whatever this thing inside of Helen was.

The first thing that was on Sumireko's mind, rather than elation at seeing Helen above her, was that of fear and confusion. _What had just happened?_ She asked that question to herself. Just moments ago she was about to be struck by the Shadow's wind blast, but now she felt energized.

_Was that... Helen's doing?_

She looked above her. The figure of Helen disappeared into ethereal butterflies as she raised her head up, and instead, she saw Sanae running towards her, looking worried. Her injuries were gone, like they had just been a bad dream.

"Usami-san! I'm glad you're safe!"

However, seeing Sanae’s expression finally made Sumireko smile. It was a tired smile, but she finally felt energized, perhaps more than when Helen had healed her. This was something unexpected, but… whatever just happened, Sanae was the one to do it, and now, the two had an actual chance to fight back.

“Y-yeah… you really did save me there, Sanae.” Sumireko attempted to stand up, but wobbled a little that she had to lean on Sanae. However, it was better than just a few moments ago for her. “Without Helen being like that, I’d…”

“Ah…” Sanae’s expression turned sour for a split second. Was she unhappy at the change happening to Helen? Sumireko didn’t dare to ask right now.

“Either way…” Sumireko decided to look upwards. At the green-hued night sky above her. At the faint sighting of the oversized sparrow circling above them.

“Let’s try, one more time. We’ll bring it down for sure this time.”

Well, Sumireko somehow was able to say that with confidence, but ultimately her gaze was still at Sanae, expectantly waiting for her to react to it. Sanae's expression, however, was puzzling. Sumireko saw her expression as if she was in the middle of deep thought, and was confused by that.

However, before long, Sanae finally answered, pushing a smile to Sumireko.

"I can do it. Helen— I've awakened my ability. I think we can really defeat this thing, Usami-san."

Sumireko looked at her in wonder. Before Sumireko was able to voice her question however, Sanae took her hand and dragged her away, just in time before another wind blast would strike her. Sanae occasionally looked up into the darkness and seemingly decided her direction using it, somehow. All this confused Sumireko, but as she felt Sanae’s hold tightening, she decided to trust Sanae.

Eventually, the two of them stopped. Before Sumireko was able to ask anything to her, Sanae brought up her Evoker and shot herself. The same Helen as the one that saved Sumireko earlier emerged - the grotesque, ghoul-like being inside of the wooden figurehead was more clearly seen this time. Sumireko winced at the sight.

Far from the fearful expression that Sanae wore not ten minutes prior, she now looked resolute. Even though she was still shaking, Sanae stood her ground as her gaze was locked onto her Persona. As if understanding her command, Helen’s mirror began to raise itself up towards the stars above. Sumireko was transfixed, eyes wide in anticipation of what new power would reveal itself... Sanae’s power.

For a moment, the Dark Hour-stained sky stared back at her from within the mirror’s face, before a phantom light whose source Sumireko could not identify flashed across it. In its place was the image of a new night sky, beautiful and clear, with a brilliant pale green star at its center. Near it was a smaller, but no less bright purple twinkling light. And around these two, a large, blazing object circled in a way that was clearly unnatural for a star, its wrathful, oppressive form dwarfing the other two celestial bodies. Sumireko focused her eyes and saw numerous other pinpoints of light moving around as well, and it was then that she began to understand what it was she was really seeing.

“Sanae, is that… a radar?”

That was such a far-fetched idea at first, but Sanae nodded in response to that guess. Sumireko attempted her best to ignore Helen as she looked more at the lights projected by Sanae’s mirror. Sumireko reasoned that the two stationary stars must have been her and Sanae, and following this logic, the large revolving star left little mystery as to what it represented. The smaller dots must have been its minions, the things they had seen in the forest.

“I think I get it.” Sanae prepared her bow and aimed at one of the moving dots. Her tone was exhausted, but her stance was firm. “I… Helen, is able to detect my enemies. Where they are, what they are like, and… if they were to endanger me. Helen can see it and I can act accordingly.”

In one fluid motion, Sanae brought her bow up and down again to draw it. Its taut limbs pulled against her arms, eager for release as Sanae eyed her target, the rapidly moving golden dot nearest to the two.

“W-wait!” Sumireko raised her voice. She knew that just earlier she was the one to ask for the two to bring down the big Shadow, but Sumireko was caught off guard by Sanae immediately acting on it. Whether she hit or missed with this shot, surely the other small bird and the big one would notice their presence. They would immediately lose their advantage, and it seemed that the end of the forest was nearby too. They would be easy pickings without the cover of the trees. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Sanae seemed focused. Calm, even.

Sanae kept her posture for a moment, and in a motion so quick it could be missed by blinking, the arrow shot forth. Sumireko forgot to breathe as her eyes followed it, the projectile whistling through the air along some path probably seen only in the eye of Sanae’s mind.

And for a split second, the eye of her target.

The sound of the arrow’s impact could be heard from there, and before the golden, glowing light of the Shadow vanished, Sumireko could spot the arrow jutting out from its pupil, dead center. A perfect shot for what must have seemed like the perfect target.

As the thud of the bird hitting the ground could be heard, it was immediately followed by a caw. The other familiar had noticed the loss of its ally. Sumireko could see, from the projected dots made by Helen’s mirror, the remaining golden dot and the blazing one were approaching them, just as Sumireko expected would happen. Sumireko turned to Sanae.

Seeing Sanae’s smile, however, made her realize that she wanted this to happen.

“Usami-san, you said you want us to bring down that Shadow, right? Then we’ll ambush it.”

“… I understand. Let’s do this, Sanae.” As the two nodded to each other, Sumireko could feel an invisible spark passed between the two of them. Something that took the edge off of the fear and anxiety of the situation, and emboldened her, just a little bit. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, but something about the situation made Sumireko feel like a SEES member, a fighter, and not just the scurrying prey of an otherworldly predator.

She took her position behind a tree a few meters away. Her distance was important. Too close and she risked being hit by debris from the Shadow’s hard landing. Too far could impact her ability to react in a timely manner. Sanae was the one that would lure in the Shadow itself, but Sumireko would need to be the one to bring the beast down.

From her position, she could see a little bit of Helen’s mirror, with the large Shadow’s own angry star being visible even from over there, and slowly but surely it was moving towards the mirror’s center. It wasn’t alone, however. One of the golden lights was making its own approach and would be upon them shortly. Sumireko peered through the trees to see if she could get a look at it, but this proved unnecessary as Sumireko could hear the telltale whistle and thud of an arrow piercing the Shadow.

Glancing back towards Sanae, Sumireko fought the urge to give the other girl a thumbs up and, for a moment, it almost seemed like Sanae was… uncertain? Her posture wavered, and her hands drifted listlessly, seemingly uncertain of what they should be doing. Perhaps realizing this herself, Sanae refocused her stance. Sumireko had no time to ponder what this meant. The giant sparrow was approaching and failure here meant facing down another wave of its ‘eyes’, and nothing would have changed except for the dwindling of the girls’ mental and physical resources.

The blazing dot approached. Sumireko could feel her pulse quickening. It would arrive in a matter of seconds now. She cast one last look at Sanae, who now seemed fully prepared. This was it. Instinct told Sumireko that this would be their one chance to shift the momentum of the battle in their favor. She had to trust Sanae, and she had to trust Renko. Sumireko pressed the barrel of the evoker to her head and glared at the mirror above Helen.

As Helen’s and the shadow’s stars overlapped, Sanae was the one who made the first move. Recalling Helen’s mirror, she then used her own Garu to propel her away just moments before the Shadow’s bombardment rained down, striking nothing but leaves and dirt, and tearing a hole through the forest’s canopy. Sumireko’s eyes darted up. She could see it clearly now, hovering above the hole its previous attack had created.

It was their cue. Sanae was already ready with her bow and immediately, she unleashed a powerful shot right through the hole in the treetops that the Shadow had created. In a single strike, she was able to tear through the Shadow’s wings. The Shadow let out a loud, painful screech, but all it did was serve as Sumireko’s signal to do her part.

“Renko!” She yelled as loud as she could as she fired her Evoker. Renko manifested directly above the Shadow, just as it was still struggling with the pain that Sanae’s arrow put it through. It was unstable. Sumireko could see from where she was that it struggled to remain afloat. She took a deep breath.

Using her harp, Renko bashed the Shadow with all the force she could muster as Sumireko yelled. With the powerful blow, the Shadow was struck down and was forced to crash, landing not far from Sanae. It let out a pained screech, but even as Sumireko’s arms still felt the shaking from Renko’s bash earlier, her hand was still on the Evoker. Neither of them had any intention of leaving any room for the Shadow to retaliate. Sanae, ever quicker than her, already reloaded her bow at this point. Without mercy, she began shooting at the helpless Shadow.

Seeing it, Sumireko followed suit. She summoned Renko who rained icicles onto the Shadow with a sweep of her harp and immediately after, she rushed in with spear in hand. Ready to deal the final blow.

Yet, just as Renko’s icicles pierced through the head of the giant sparrow, a peculiar melody rang through the air. Without Sumireko being able to do anything about it, everything became dark, as if something was robbing her of her vision. She could feel her spear in her hand. The Evoker on her waist. She could still feel Renko inside of her. She didn’t know where Sanae was, but she was sure she was still close too.

And she could feel the ground too. The smooth, dry ground…

As Sumireko’s sight was restored not long after, she realized that something was amiss. The greenish hue from her environment had disappeared, yet she had awakened in the middle of a path that split through a forest. Outside of the full moon and the stars above her, there was no other source of light around. This was a disconcerting experience, but the first thing that was on Sumireko’s mind was-

“Sanae!”

“I- I’m here, Usami-san!”

Sanae was stranded not too far away from her. Now that they were together, without the risk of being attacked by a Shadow, it was only then that Sumireko realized how messed up their school uniforms had gotten, from dirt, blood, and the strikes of the bird Shadows. Seeing the messy state of Sanae’s usually gorgeous hair made her giggle.

“Usami-san…” For a moment, Sanae seemed like she was tempted to smack her for laughing, but instead she just shook her head. “Where are we?”

“Maybe the back area of the shrine? But I don’t know, really. I never visited this area before.”

And, Sumireko paused. Something about this place was odd. Sumireko didn’t voice that to Sanae. She felt that the two of them hadn’t just ended up getting lost in the forest. The trees looked similar to the ones surrounding the shrine’s forest, yet it was all very strange. A dirt path this large anywhere close to the city was odd too, especially with how Sumireko was sure that earlier, the road closest to them would be the usual asphalt.

What was this place? Exploring it seemed like a bad idea, but more importantly, how did the two of them-

“Usami-san!”

A strong push from Sanae brought Sumireko to the ground with a thud. The sound of trees cracking after something crashed into them followed not long after. Looking back, it was clear that it was the doing of an air-based projectile. Something was attacking them here, even if this wasn’t the Dark Hour. Sumireko pushed all her questioning about the nature of this place aside and returned into a fighting stance.

“Sanae… what is that?”

Not far away from them, a humanoid figure stood. From all over its body, black liquid leaked and splashed into the ground. What would be its face was obscured by a bird-like mask with the carving of the Roman numeral II on its side. With its broken wings and its coloration… could it be a new form of the sparrow Shadow? It was a guess that was only supported as Sumireko noticed several blinking parts on the figure’s body.

Those were eyes. Underneath the light of the full moon, the golden pupils shone like gemstones as they convulsed. These eyes were much like what the familiar birds possessed, now grafted onto the humanoid’s figure body. Three eyes that continued blinking, grafted on its arms and chest.

However, this figure didn’t plan on giving either of them a chance of thinking more about its appearance. With a sudden burst of speed, it lunged at their direction, clawed hands at the ready. The speed caught Sumireko off-guard. Just as she was trying to ward off the attack using her spear, the enemy had already reached her. It tore through her left arm with ease, leaving a huge, gaping gash there.

Sumireko let out an inaudible scream. The feeling of pain from the wound overtook her mind. The shock from receiving it almost made her drop her spear, yet, Sumireko instead somehow managed to retain the hold with only her right hand. Perhaps it was the adrenaline being pumped into her blood, but she pushed back against the pain and thrust her spear forward.

The Shadow, however, managed to dodge it. Sumireko made a sweeping motion with the spear, yet the Shadow dodged it once again. However, it created an opening. As the Shadow was preoccupied with Sumireko’s attack and prepared its own counterattack, an arrow pierced through its body. The Shadow reacted in pain over it - a perfect timing.  
Sumireko pulled backwards for a few moments before thrusting her spear forward, deep into its chest.

Black liquid continued to flow from the wound Sumireko made. The Shadow’s reaction to its wound was uncannily human-like, something that disturbed Sumireko. However, at the same time, Sumireko could feel light enveloping her - she could feel Sanae healing her wound from the Shadow’s lunge earlier. The pleasant sensation of her wound knitting itself allowed her to not think more about the disturbing sight. And instead, Sumireko pulled out her Evoker.

Just as the Shadow was about to back away, Renko bashed it using her harp. Like a home run, it sent the Shadow flying into a nearby tree, with enough force to crack the tree itself. Feeling like she was on a roll, Sumireko did not plan on wasting this momentum. She placed the cold barrel of her Evoker to her head once more...

But she couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger. The Evoker didn’t jam, and it didn’t shoot any blanks, but just the motion of pulling the trigger itself almost brought Sumireko to her knees. Exhaustion, even with Sanae’s continuous healing, still caught up to her in the end.

With the help of her spear, she forced herself to remain standing. Even if she couldn’t muster the strength to summon Renko right now, she still had her spear. She could still do something. Fear built up within her, but she forced her gaze to stay locked on the Shadow.

Surprisingly, it didn’t seem like it was her alone that was in this predicament. As Sumireko struggled with being unable to summon Renko, the Shadow too, prepared to blast her with another of its wind attacks. However, all it could manage was blowing a gentle breeze towards her. Despite its face being obscured by its bird mask, the Shadow looked bewildered at its own exhaustion.

Sumireko gathered her breath. With the Shadow being this exhausted too, one good attack perhaps would be enough to close the battle. All she hoped was for Sanae to back her up on this, Summoning a last spurt of energy to move herself, Sumireko charged forward with her spear.

Yet, before she could even meaningfully close the distance, a peculiar melody was once again heard.

Once more, the world turned into darkness. She had been blinded. Unlike before, Sumireko could still feel the ground she was standing on. She could feel something moving near her. Sumireko wanted to stay calm in this situation, but all it translated to in practice was her swinging around her spear wildly around her. What else could she do in this darkness?  
She lost track of direction and distance. She wasn’t sure whether she moved, or whether she stayed in place all this time. All that she knew was that the Shadow would attack her anytime soon. This thought, which repeated over and over on her head, became fuel for her continuous frantic assault on everything around her. Swings, stabs, a flurry of erratic attacks, aimed at nothing in particular.

Sumireko, without realizing it, was panicking.

Eventually, she felt that her spear had managed to strike at something soft-ish. Was it the Shadow? She wanted to drive it in, deeper and deeper. How lucky she had been! Or so she thought at first. However, just as excitement rose within Sumireko, a growing concern crept all over her thoughts. What if… rather than the Shadow, the one she struck was Sanae? What would be the difference in feeling between the two bodies to her weapon?

As this doubt grew, Sumireko hesitated.

And so, as a response, she felt that several sharp things had torn their way into her stomach.

She could feel blood and other things spilling. Her eyesight soon returned, but Sumireko didn’t even look at the wound she just received. Whatever she struck was nowhere in front of her anymore. All that it left behind was a trail of black liquid not far from her.

Her senses took a while to catch up to her. Sumireko rolled over to the ground, bloody and messy, as the sensation of pain overpowered her. She wanted to scream, but she was too drained to even let out any voice at this point. Her hold on her spear had been let go. Both of her hands were on her stomach, as if attempting to close the wound even if what she was doing only made it messier.

Even as Sanae’s magic eventually healed her, she felt like an eternity had just passed. Even as the wound on her stomach had closed itself and she felt that the lightheadedness from the blood loss had eased by a little, she could barely move her body, let alone stand. The most she could do as the sensation of pain finally left her, was to raise her head a little in hope of finding where the Shadow was now.

Eventually, she saw it in the distance. Several arrows visibly were sticking out of its halfway-broken body. Somehow, it was still standing. Sumireko could see that one of its three eyes continued to bleed the strange liquid. Perhaps it was where Sumireko struck it earlier. Its legs wobbled. Its claws, still fresh with Sumireko’s blood, didn’t even seem as structurally sound as it was before.

Somehow, it was still standing. It still refused to give up.

Just as a slight movement was noticeable from the Shadow, Sumireko frantically reached for her spear, but before that could happen, the strange melody filled the air once more. Blindness followed, and even when Sumireko managed to grip her spear, she wasn’t even sure which end was which at this point.

Sumireko couldn’t stand. She couldn’t even bring herself to strike with her spear from her current position either.

But… she didn’t want to die here. She refused to die here. If the Shadow could still live even to this point, then Sumireko too, would refuse to see this as her end.

She just hoped that Sanae would be able to back her up once more, and hope for a miraculous strike. Wherever she was… Sumireko was glad that she didn’t get attacked, at least. As this became her thought, Sumireko braced for another strike from the Shadow.

Yet, no attack came.

Instead of the sensation of her flesh being rent by sharp appendages, Sumireko heard the sound of something breaking. Following it, her eyesight was restored suddenly. Confusion and relief filled her as light filled her vision once more, and the first thing she saw as her sight returned was Sanae. With an expression that Sumireko couldn’t quite understand, she was fresh off shooting one of her arrows and now was in the middle of reloading. The Shadow was not far from her in the meantime.

An arrow struck it right in the middle of its face. The bird-like mask had shattered completely. What was left behind was the gruesome sight of a melting human-like face.

“Sanae!”

The first instinct Sumireko had was to thank Sanae for saving her, but she realized something was off. She mustered some of her remaining strength to yell out her name, but Sanae did not respond. It took her a few moments to notice that her ears were bleeding. Blood continued to drip from both of her ears onto the ground, and Sanae didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Realization sank onto Sumireko. To counteract the Shadow’s melody, she...  
In the meantime, Sanae had already taken aim at the helpless Shadow.

One shot. Then another. Another shot too followed. Sanae emptied her quiver into the Shadow who could no longer resist. Right before Sumireko, the Shadow melted into a puddle of black liquid before disappearing. Sanae didn’t turn around to celebrate. The Shadow had been defeated, but even as Sumireko saw Sanae healing herself with Helen, no celebratory feeling could come out as she was frozen on the ground.

Someone willing to destroy their own hearing just to have an advantage… something about it terrified Sumireko. She was thankful to Sanae, but at this point, was all this worth being celebrated?

Gradually, the strange place the two found themselves in made way for the shrine’s usual forest, the clear night sky being replaced by the green hue of the Dark Hour once more. And with that, Sanae dropped onto her knees in exhaustion. The Dark Hour eventually ended, with the two remaining stationary, unable to move around at all.

As her consciousness faded, the last thing that was on Sumireko’s mind was seeing Reimu finding the two of them and seeing Sanae’s distressed expression, which somehow was even more severe than any expression she had during the course of the fight itself.

What that might mean, Sumireko couldn’t think about it right now as she passed out.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a while! All these weeks before New Years had been beating me up pretty badly. Here's your New Year's update! I hope you will still enjoy this fic in 2020.
> 
> Notes:  
1) The final part of the chapter is set in a place inspired by where you fight Mystia in IN. At least off my memory, so I probably got details wrong. As for why... well, it wouldn't be fun to say it this early, right?  
2) The title of the chapter is both a reference to the poem Die Lorelei by Heinrich Heine and to the lyrics of Die Lorelei, the song by Diao Ye Zong. Thinking about it, most of the chapters so far are Diao Ye Zong references...  
3) For this High Priestess fight, the general focus was on the idea of guidance and intuition. This is the primary reason Mystia is chosen to represent the High Priestess fight, even if she arguably is one of the least representatives of the idea of inner wisdom and spirituality that the card usually possesses. Though, ultimately, the fight itself does have certain motifs of the card itself as part of it, whether upright or otherwise.   
4) In the old version, this fight took place on top of a train and with Sanae and Sumireko being helpless. I decided against it now since a stationary train on top of a railway above the sea just restricts writing way too much. This new setup I feel delivers the initial feeling of confusion and hopelessness in a less-restricted space.
> 
> Oh yeah, there will be a mini chapter release upcoming later this week. Look forward to it~


	19. Chapter 13.5: Unreachable Message

X-X-X

### Chapter 13.5: Unreachable Message

X-X-X

The passing of the past few days had been like an eternity for Kirijo Mitsuru. Even the indomitable expression that she had been good at maintaining couldn’t hide the anxiety within her. Two members of the SEES were almost killed during their last mission. Their survival was a miracle that Mitsuru couldn’t understand just yet.

Even now, Mitsuru kept thinking to herself. Was this situation ever avoidable? Did she overlook how the other two locations were just a distraction? Or perhaps it was just a cruel twist of fate that their newest members were the ones to be in immediate conflict against the Shadow?

“Still thinking about the same thing as lately?” Ikutsuki Shuji, the chairman of SEES, asked Mitsuru as he fiddled with the large computer inside of the command room. His tone was light, but his expression was that of concern.

“It's important to re-evaluate past events for the sake of improvement. Don’t you believe so, Chairman?” Mitsuru fidgeted on the sofa she sat on, her gaze turned back to the empty seats before her. She let out a tired sigh. “I can't just assume it was bad luck that caused Usami and Kochiya's predicament... If it is an error on our end, wouldn’t it be vital for us to deal with it before it could cause future issues?”

“Indeed, you are right.” Ikutsuki seemed to be returning his focus onto the computer. “If this really was an error on our part, the next time could be fatal. We still barely know anything about how the battle between Usami, Kochiya, and that Shadow went. What luck that saved them this time might not happen again next time.”

“I am glad that you understand what I am going for here, Chairman. In that case-”

“At the same time, sometimes bad luck is just bad luck. We are just humans, after all. The world can still deny what we want even after we try our best.” The sound of typing coming from behind Mitsuru stopped. Not long after, Ikutsuki was already standing by her side. His gaze too was on the empty sofas before them.

“What I mean is… don’t be too hard on yourself. Self-improvement is not the same thing as self-blame.”

“Chairman.” Sighing, Mitsuru turned towards Ikutsuki. He only smiled at her with his usual light expression. “There is nothing about my current situation that you should feel concerned about.”

“I see. It seems that there’s not much of you that has changed from the past ten years, hah.” Ikutsuki laughed. Mitsuru kept an annoyed expression towards him, but she couldn’t help but crack a small smile seeing Ikutsuki’s upbeat mood. “You always wanted to know what your father and I worked on, because you wanted to help. Ah, I still remember how mad you were at me when I didn’t let you tag along with the two of us to the Kirijo Group’s research center…”

“...And you are still as overly jovial as always for your age, Chairman. Thankfully, you did not make a pun about this situation.” Mitsuru shook her head as Ikutsuki brought back the past into the conversation. Despite her own efforts, her father and Ikutsuki never did let her to find out what they were working on together, and it was only 3 years ago that they let her know about their Shadow research.

“He might not have much time to really show it, but your father is proud of this side of yours. How hard you have worked, even if only behind the scenes, to ensure that the operations of SEES continue to be a success.” Ikutsuki coughed. “Although, perhaps you should think of getting more sleep. I didn’t see you sleep a wink ever since that mission.”

“The meeting is in one hour, Chairman. I cannot afford to think of sleep until that comes to pass.”

“That is indeed true.” Ikutsuki shrugged and returned to the large command computer.

“Actually. Chairman, what were you researching there? Did you manage to secure any data from the fight?” Mitsuru stood up and turned around to see the large screen.  
Her expression immediately turned into a frown.

“Well, I have been having fun researching this pinball game.” Ikutsuki said that with a smile, without a hint of shame at all.

“...Why do you look so tilted, Miss Kirijo?”

X-X-X

Around one hour later, the other members of SEES gathered in the command room, blissfully unaware that Mitsuru had almost broken the screen of their research computer as well as being very close on performing an execution on Ikutsuki. Although, considering just how much she and her father owed him in gratitude, she was just content with getting him to leave the room while Mitsuru uninstall the game from the command computer.

“Mitsuru, what’s with your eyes? Did you get enough sleep?” Marisa was the first to break the silence.

“I am fine. This meeting will start in a minute.”

“But-”

“Kirisame.” Mitsuru threw a sharp glare at her. For a moment, she turned to the back, towards the now-turned off computer, and looked at her own reflection there. She looked like a complete mess with her eye bags and dead expression.

Mitsuru decided to ignore what she saw.

“Ahem.”

When Mitsuru returned her gaze to the other four girls, her expression had become more composed. She pretended that whatever happened earlier was not a thing at all. The sooner she could get into the point of this meeting, the better.

All four Persona Users of SEES were present there. Sumireko, surprisingly, sat next to Marisa, while Sanae was off in the corner, looking distracted by something. Reimu in the meantime, as always, sat closest to the door. And as always, she didn’t look comfortable to be a part of this meeting.

"Rei-" Mitsuru let a syllable slip out, but stopped herself. Reimu didn't seem to notice that slip and her gaze was still elsewhere. Inside, Mitsuru did want to express her gratitude. After all, it was due to Reimu's quick action that they were able to recover Sumireko and Sanae in time without much complication.

However, it was for the best that she kept it to herself. Nothing good will come from saying it out loud.

“I am glad that all of you are present here. Especially so for Kochiya and Usami, who I can see have recovered splendidly after the last mission.” So far, so good. As usual, Reimu ignored her as she spoke. That she didn’t look at her was a sign that so far Mitsuru didn’t make a mistake. It was a good sign.

“There have been many questions raised regarding how the last mission went, and with the communication blackout making it difficult for us to gather data about it, we had to wait for you two to recover so that we could understand what exactly happened.” Mitsuru’s voice remained steady. Her gaze shifted from Reimu to Sumireko and Marisa, who seemed like they just had a little chat earlier about something else while she spoke.

“Usami. Could you tell me of the events on that night?”

“A-ah! Um…”

Mitsuru sighed. As she expected, Sumireko was not listening to her so far and thus was unprepared to report. She hid the frustration she felt. Whether Sumireko felt that what had been said so far in this meeting to have weight or not, it should be expected for everyone to listen closely to what was being said here.

“Uh… my memory’s a bit fuzzy about it… but I guess, there’s how the Shadow was a big, bird-like thing. An oversized sparrow that lacked eyes and would just fly around aimlessly without the smaller Shadows that kept accompanying it and hunting us down.”

“What is their preferred method of attacking?”

“The smaller ones just fly straight at us since their feathers are very sharp, while the big one used the small birds to guide it so it could bombard us with a strong wind blast. It almost got me, but Sanae… Helen blocked it, and it even managed to awaken its ability afterwards- though it looks a little scary now…”

From Sumireko’s expression as she reminisced about the event, Mitsuru wondered what about Helen’s appearance would make her feel like that. She decided to pay attention to Sanae now, noting her expression was a little vacant. She was seemingly too busy inside her own mind to really notice the conversation so far.

“Kochiya, would you mind telling us what happened to your Persona?”

“...I… I believe I had Helen block an attack for Usami-san, and somehow, it made her crack open and I was able to awaken my ability.” It took her several moments before she responded. Sanae’s voice sounded like she wasn’t even in the command room along with the rest of them. “I don’t really know what happened. But… Helen can tell me now, whenever something would endanger me. It also works like a radar, finding out more about nearby enemies and what they can do.”

“A radar, huh.” Mitsuru couldn’t hide her sour expression, though she wasn’t sure at first why her heart felt heavy hearing Sanae describe Helen’s ability like that. “It sounds like it truly is an important ability, and I presume that it was what helped you and Usami to survive the encounter?”

“I guess. Without Helen, we wouldn’t be able to fight back against that big Shadow.”

“But uh....” Sumireko interjected. “We did bring down the big Shadow, but then it did something real weird.”

“Hm? What could that be?” Mitsuru looked at Sumireko with mild surprise.

“After Ren… Orpheus bashed the Shadow to the ground and we attempted to finish it, some strange sound came out of it. Our vision went blank and suddenly we were somewhere else entirely.”

“...Somewhere else? What do you mean by that?” That was completely unexpected for Mitsuru. However, Marisa and Reimu didn’t seem like they were surprised at what was said here.

“That Shadow took us into another place- a forest- entirely. It’s hard to remember much of the detail there, but I very much remembered that it was not the Dark Hour there, even if it shouldn’t have ended yet. The Shadow attempted to finish us off there, but we killed it in the end.”

“...I see.”

Some chattering followed right after, though for the most part it was by Marisa and Sumireko, although even Reimu participated on occasion. It was then that Mitsuru realized. Both Reimu and Marisa already knew about what happened that night. It was why the two of them didn’t seem to be paying attention here. Of the people inside of this room, Mitsuru was the only one that didn’t have any idea about it.

At that, Mitsuru could only let out a tired sigh. It was expected. As the four of them grew more and more as Persona users, someone like her would naturally exist outside of their circle. Her contribution to this group would gradually diminish, and distance would grow between her and them. She had thought about this for a while and she was confident that she would be able to anticipate it, but even so it still left her with a sinking feeling inside.

But, even so, they were all still her responsibility. Being the one that ensured SEES was run, Mitsuru should be the last person to look weak and dissatisfied. And so, she made a small, proud smile at the group.

“In that case… great job. This is a brilliant victory because of the actions of you two, Usami and Kochiya. And… Hakurei, Kirisame. The two of you also did your part here. The five of us wouldn’t be able to gather here if it wasn’t for all of you. Perhaps, we should celebrate our success together outside for once? I shall let the four of you decide where will we go to.”

With her words, the mood of the scene had become lighter. Marisa was naturally the one most excited of the prospect of eating somewhere fancy, and despite her initial reluctance, Sumireko was as fired up as her senior here. Their upbeatness even strung in Sanae and Reimu, who otherwise didn’t seem like she would even entertain the idea of joining in.  
As they excitedly discuss where they wanted to go with each other, Mitsuru silently excused herself from the scene. Just in time for the Chairman to return so that he could take her place too.

Maybe she really needed some sleep all along.

X-X-X

With a jolt, Mitsuru woke up from the bed. Her face looked miserable, as if she had just experienced a nightmare. If someone else would find her here, they wouldn’t recognize the young woman with the messy bed hair here as the esteemed Kirijo Mitsuru. And most damningly, this was far from the first time this happened. For her to collapse due to exhaustion and waking up as a mess. All of that was due to SEES.

So it begged the question: why would she throw herself into a field where nobody needed her?

Such thoughts invaded Mitsuru’s mind as light was shed onto her consciousness. It was a question that she had yet to find an answer for. She took it as her responsibility, sure, but for what? Even if she didn’t personally support them, SEES would remain standing since it would be something that Ikutsuki and the rest of the Kirijo Group maintained themselves.  
However, the train of thought itself was halted the moment Mitsuru realized something. The room she was in was not her own room. Mitsuru had her own place to stay rather than staying in the dormitory unless she was busy with researching data related to Shadows, in which case she would sleep in the command room. But, this was clearly one of the bedrooms in the dorm. The sheet was clean white. It didn’t seem like it had been used much. The room itself was surprisingly tidy and minimalistic. There were a lot of boxes, however. And another thing that caught her attention was the many books adorning the many racks stapled onto the wall, the only thing that could be called as excess in this room. The collection was colorful, but a lot of it was not something that Mitsuru was familiar with.

Still confused with her predicament, she looked around once more.

This time, Reimu was somehow inside of the room. She was standing, leaning on the wall of the room, while looking down on the bedridden Mitsuru. If Mitsuru wasn’t already used to her tendency to suddenly appear like this, perhaps she would’ve gotten a heart attack.

“You collapsed not long after leaving the command room yesterday.” She spoke in a terse way.

“Is this your room?”

“Yes.”

And then, silence. Mitsuru didn’t know how else to continue. There was unpleasantness on Reimu’s expression and her arms were crossed. And the light tapping her feet made to the floor made it seem that she wanted Mitsuru to leave as soon as possible. However, Mitsuru stayed on her place. This was a rare chance. How long had it been since the two of them could talk one by one like this?

Thinking about it, it was when the two of them fought over the decision on what to do regarding Sumireko, which was around two months ago. Mitsuru gazed upwards, at the indifferent eyes of the other girl. Should she apologize for that? Even if she knew Reimu wouldn’t even listen to such an apology, Mitsuru wondered if the intent would be enough to ease the tension between them.

But even when she reached an internal agreement on what she wanted to say, actually saying it was more difficult.

Before her was Reimu. The one person that to Mitsuru, would actually be able to do anything if she wanted to. She had been gifted from the very moment she was born. Had she actually tried, she would’ve easily become the top of the school. It was to the point that it felt somewhat unnatural, but Mitsuru was fine with it. She would’ve been happy if Reimu would do that and defeat her grades.

Being her older sister, it would be natural for Mitsuru to be happy for that.

“Reimu.” Mitsuru pushed herself to refer to her sister with her first name. Something that she wouldn’t be able to do if they were in public. “Did you skip your classes again today?”

“Yes. What about it?” Reimu’s answer was dry, as expected. Mitsuru sighed. It was a routine for her to not care about school, so she shouldn’t be surprised. Even now, the Reimu she knew hadn’t changed yet. Ever since Reimu was adopted into the Kirijo household, she was always this aloof, distancing herself from everyone. To the point that she refused to even use the family name and stuck with her birth name instead.

And this coldness was prominently displayed especially to Mitsuru. Any of her attempts to get along with her would be brushed off. Perhaps the only thing that prevented their situation from escalating into outright hostility was Marisa, who somehow befriended them both back then.

“You should worry about yourself instead.” Reimu continued. “What I do is my own business. While you collapsing like this is a bother for everyone.”

“I am fine, Reimu. And I am doing this for the sake of-”

“Then maybe you should stop playing leader to us. Stick to what you actually can do.”

Mitsuru froze. Her gaze, which was on Reimu before, now went down as she was unable to say anything in response to what Reimu said.

It was true. The management of SEES was something that other Kirijo Group people could do. Ikutsuki could have handled all the Shadow research by himself, but even if he couldn’t, the Kirijo group didn’t have a shortage of aspiring researchers either. Managing the group communication devices too, would be something that Ikutsuki or others could do and with Sanae’s awakening, it wasn’t something that would be in as much demand as before.

In the first place, there was no reason for her to be anywhere involved here. In the first place, she made SEES as it was merely through a childish whim.

A child-like whim that was born when she awoke one night, to see Reimu fighting all on her own on the streets. A whim that was born because she saw all the responsibility that Reimu had piled on herself.

Perhaps it was unbecoming of her to intrude in such a way, but as a Kirijo, she couldn’t let that be. _Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection._ That was the group’s motto. The group thrived through their symbiotic relationship with the Nanjo Group. Through this relation was how the group was able to grow. It was a motto that Mitsuru held dearly within her heart.

That motto thus became the drive of her whim.

Vestigial as it was, SEES was a club she made so that Reimu didn’t have to bear this responsibility alone.

Mitsuru’s gaze returned to Reimu. She was still unable to respond to her words, but that thought reaffirmed her feelings, even by a little. Reimu threw her gaze aside in the meantime, still refusing to look back on Mitsuru. There was no scorn in her expression. Just a cold, distanced feeling that had defined their relationship through the years.

“Thank you for letting me stay in this room, Reimu.” Even if she did not address what Reimu said however, she decided to speak anyway. “I will do my best to avoid this situation from happening again.”

“Suit yourself.” Reimu shook her head before turning towards the door.

“I will.”

“Hmph.” With a grunt, Reimu headed outside. Now left alone, Mitsuru could feel that she was still feeling drained. The sleep that she had gotten was not enough just yet. While worries about all the things she missed or needed to do due to this began creeping into her mind, for once Mitsuru decided to ignore it all for a little while. Just as she drifted back into sleep, a thought passed her mind.

Could there perhaps be something only she could do for SEES?

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness. I planned to post this chapter last week, however due to a combination of emotional stress and other unfortunate circumstances, I had to push this into today.
> 
> This one is a short chapter featuring the one main character from Persona 3 retained in this fic, as well as someone that hasn't gotten the opportunity to be explored yet (because Sumireko is still uncomfortable around her) - Kirijo Mitsuru. As has been explored in this chapter, quite a lot of Mitsuru's circumstances had changed in this fic compared to how she is in Persona 3. So, I hope that she still remains recognizably Mitsuru here despite all the changes. Now we finally get to see why Mitsuru and Reimu have been quite difficult with each other too. 
> 
> I will be away for two weeks until close to the end of January starting next week, but I'll try to get out a chapter before then. I hope all of you enjoy this chapter!


	20. The Chapter When I Became Lively

X-X-X

### Chapter 14: The Chapter When I Became Lively

X-X-X

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared up at the ceiling lit by the early light of dawn. It was time to get up, but I couldn’t quite work up the motivation just yet. Procrastinating, I looked around my room. Boxes, containers, and shriveled plastic bags littered the place like a minefield, and tucked into the corner was a small bookshelf that couldn’t even hope to contain my growing manga collection. Whatever books didn’t get the honor of a proper place on the shelf were stacked next to it. Naturally, none of my school books were on this shelf. They were lucky to ever see the outside of my schoolbag outside of class.

Sitting up, I felt the cool plastic of one of my handhelds pressing against my leg, somewhere under the blanket. Right, so that’s where that was. I hadn’t seen it in a few days. On my desk, my computer’s illuminated monitor was visible, having pulled yet another all-nighter. I had been in the middle of watching something and decided to leave my PC running… a week ago. I’ll have to make sure to turn it off tonight. Oh, and to finish what I was watching, whatever it was.

I peeled my blanket off and stood up. As nice as it was to linger between the warm sheets, tragically I couldn’t attend school in this state. Also, nature was calling. Heading into the bathroom, I fully resigned myself to the reality that I wouldn’t be seeing my bed again until after school. If I didn’t start getting ready now, I would be late.

Looking in the mirror after bathing and grooming, it was almost like looking at a magic trick. Gone was the unkempt girl who cursed at video games when she got hit by some cheap attack, and in her place was the prim and fashionable Kochiya Sanae, the second-year student at Gekkoukan High.

Not to brag or anything, but I was actually pretty popular, even if my grades kind of sucked. I wondered what people would think if they saw what I was actually like, though. At least I had the sense to properly dispose of food, but not even Marisa had ever seen the inside of my room. She’d probably laugh or something.

No, actually she’d probably offer to help me clean it. That would be even worse.

My growling stomach brought me back to reality as I headed downstairs. No sense dwelling on something that would never happen. As I entered the lounge, Marisa was already sitting at the table. It was just the two of us, this morning.

“Good morning, Marisa!” I greeted her first as I sat down at the table.

“Yo, Sanae! What do you want for breakfast today?” It was her usual offer, and as she began to get up we settled into our usual comedy routine.

“Oh, did you suddenly learn how to cook, senpai?” I raised my tone in mock excitement. “Hmm, let me think… how do I want you to burn my bread this time…? Normal charcoal black, or ‘nuclear hellfire special’...?”

“Hey, bread’s harder to toast than it looks, you know. Honestly, I think it burns itself just to spite me.” She took it with a wry little smirk on her face, as usual. That was Marisa, for you. She acts cool even under fire. After a little more banter she agreed to make coffee, the one thing I trusted her to make well. Coffee seemed to be a staple of the dorm. All of us seemed to drink it, including Mitsuru. Meanwhile, Hakurei-senpai drank the stuff like she literally ran on it. I wouldn’t be that surprised if she really was some kind of coffee-powered robot.

“How’s that Kasukabe girl lately?” Marisa called back from the kitchen over the sound of clinking tableware.

“She’s been pretty nice lately, it’s a little scary, haha...” Marisa always took the time to catch up with how my life was going. It was a small gesture, but one I appreciated a lot. I heard her laugh along with my comment.

“So that girl can act nice after all. ‘Little hard to believe.” Sometimes I got the impression that Marisa didn’t like Daiya much, which seemed a bit-out-of character for her. Marisa seemed to like everyone. Well, it wasn’t any of my business. That kind of drama was of no interest to me, so I decided to change the subject.

“How about Hakurei-senpai?” If Marisa had one weakness, this was it. Marisa was off in the kitchen, so I didn’t even have to hide my Cheshire grin.

“Reimu? She seems fine. Still skipping classes. Still vanishing into the darkness of night. The usual.” Marisa feigned ignorance, of course. No way I was going to let her off that easy, though.

“Nooo, I mean, how’s your _progress_ with her?” I stressed it as much as I could without breaking my innocent act. Well, it’s not that Marisa was actually fooled by it, but it was all  
part of what made this little game between us fun.

“Hmmmm? Sorry, I’m not sure what you’re trying to say, Kochiya~” Even though I could only see Marisa’s back, I could tell she was smiling.

“Oh, is that so~?” I propped my head on my hands and leaned forward.

It wasn’t much of a secret that Marisa was hopelessly in love for Hakurai-senpai. It was cute, watching the usually cool and dashing Marisa turn into an excited puppy dog around Reimu. And it just _had_ to be Reimu, of all people. Would Marisa ever be able to teach Hakurai-senpai about this strange human emotion you call love? I wasn’t holding my breath, but the situation was too adorably humorous to ignore. Thinking back on how much Reimu liked coffee, maybe it wasn’t any surprise that it was the only thing Marisa was good at making.

“You know, you’re becoming kind of insolent lately. I think Shameimaru is a bad influence on you.”

Not long after, Marisa returned to the table with a tray. Two mugs of fresh coffee and, surprisingly, unburnt toast. Maybe those cracks about her cooking got to her more than she let on. Marisa immediately took my usual black mug, leaving me with the other mug. A purple one. Before I realized it, the corners of my mouth turned downward.

“That black mug was mine, Marisa. Why don’t you use the purple one instead?” After using my usual mug for so long, I had gotten a little attached to it. Besides, nobody used the purple one anyways and I wasn’t particularly fond of the taste of dust in my coffee. I hoped Marisa had at least rinsed it out. Hakurei-senpai probably wouldn’t have.

“These are the only clean ones, and I’m feeling kinda’ lazy today.” She answered, nonchalantly. I sighed. Whatever. While I didn’t really like this purple one, in the end it was just a mug. I pushed this thought out of my mind.

“Say, that reminds me. Yesterday, a certain someone told me that some poor guy actually confessed to Hakurei-senpai! You’d have to be pretty crazy to do something like that— “

And so, our pointless yet pleasant morning talk continued like it always did. At least, until I heard a knocking on the door. I was confused. Who would visit the dorm this early in the morning? However, as a voice called out specifically to my name, I realized who it was and what was happening.

“...Well, I’ll leave the two of you to your own devices then.” And so Marisa left upstairs. With only myself at the first floor now, the task of opening the door became mine. I took a deep breath and opened the door to see a familiar girl and her wavy platinum-blonde hair.

”G-Good morning, Kochiya.”

I stood there, motionless. I wasn't sure what to say here other than to wave awkwardly at first to her. And it looked as awkward on her end too. After a moment of silence, I was the one that first regained my composure and continued this unexpected interaction.

“And good morning to you too, Daiya-san. It’s unusual to see you visit me this early.” I said, with a smile on my face.

“I… was just making sure that you don’t forget anything anymore today.”

Putting aside my surprise on how forward Daiya was being today, I decided that it would be too cruel to leave her waiting outside. And so, I invited her in before I returned to my cup of coffee. Lately she had been more and more clinging into my side, but I was fine with that. It was nice to have someone like Daiya around, willing to stick to me like this every day. Kasukabe Daiya, the perennial class topper and a genius unmatched in our year. She looks so stern, but even when I was focusing on my coffee I can see her stealing glances in my direction.

“You have brought all your books today right, Kochiya?”

“Of course. You’ve reminded me about that all night long after all.” I gestured at Daiya to point her to my school bag. I only bring necessary things to school, so my bag is usually quite light. I don’t bring anything I want to hide from others inside too, so I never bring any of my handheld consoles to school either. The best kept secrets are not things that are stored in a container as unreliable as a school bag, after all.

“...Don’t you think we should hurry? School starts in half an hour.”

“Ah, you are right. We do need to hurry.” I said, with the most nonchalant expression that I can manage. Daiya looked sharply at my direction, but otherwise all that she could do was only to sigh in response. She cared more about my well-being more than my own mother sometimes, which was a little silly.

I suppose, if I were to compare Daiya to Marisa, I would say that Daiya was more akin to a guard dog rather than a puppy to me. I need her around me and she wouldn’t leave my side either. That she looks really intimidating and serious while actually being adorable inside also adds more points into that interpretation.

“Hurry up, Kochiya! We’ll miss the train otherwise!”

“Well, if we miss it, then at least we missed it together, no?”

Seeing how flustered Daiya looked after I said that, I laughed a little. It was always nice to have a reminder that falling in love with anyone would be a bad idea. As always, Daiya had been so kindly be a walking example of why I was cautious about it.

As the two of us ran outside, I felt like I saw a pair of shoes that I didn’t recognize earlier just before I left.

X-X-X

Once the lunch bell rang, something unexpected happened. Hakurei-senpai approached me in class.

“Kochiya. Do you have any pine resin that I may borrow?” I forgot to reply to her for a few seconds just because it was so rare for Hakurei-senpai to talk to me, even if we live in the same dorm. It’s a momentous occasion.

“Do you mean the stuff that I use to maintain my bow string, senpai?”

“Yeah, that should be it. I’ll have some, in that case.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant by ‘have some’. Was she going to eat it? Was it even edible? No. Hakurei-senpai was weird, but she’s not that weird.

“Um, there should be some in the archery lounge. But is it fine if I give it to you later tonight instead, senpai?”

“Right. That should be good.” And with that said, Reimu left the class. It was a strange request, sure, but it wasn’t really anything bad. Since I felt like I didn’t have anything to do anyway, I decided that I might as well get the pine resin now before I forgot about it.

When I arrived at the archery range, as expected there was only one other person there. She was very focused on her practicing, but noticed my arrival nevertheless. She didn’t look all that amused.

“Sanae.”

“Good morning, Takeba-san.” This is Takeba Yukari, a fellow second-year girl in the archery club. Well, the only other member of the Archery Club. She’s a promising athlete unlike me, however, and perhaps the only reason the club stayed afloat. Even if she was also the one at fault for why the club couldn’t retain any members. Also, I heard she was good friends with Kirijo-senpai?

“What are you saying, it’s already lunch.”

“With how focused you are on practice, I thought you’d forget the passing of time or something.” As I said so, I looked at the target practice on the other end of the archery range. Most of them were bull’s eye or close.

“Aha, you caught me. You may not believe it, but shooting targets like this is good to manage your stress and anger.” Yukari said, with a pointed expression. That was a dangerous line just now, I think. I shivered a little.

“So, what are you up to, anyway? Decided to join me for once in getting extra practice?” Yukari grinned as she fired another shot to the target. It struck past one of the previous arrows, scoring another bulls-eye. Since I felt like she was poking fun at my habit of skipping the club, I decided to fire back at her.

“Oh, just looking around for some ghosts.”

“AH!”

Gotcha. I laughed at Yukari’s misery the moment I mentioned ghosts. This tiny knowledge I got from Aya finally became useful.

“Sanae, that’s just low.” Once her surprise faded, what was left was her looking irritated at me. Just like always, she really was still very easy to scare.

“Sorry, that was just a slip of the tongue, that’s all.” Teasing Yukari like this always made the dull moments of archery practice feel more fun than they actually were. I wonder if I should start calling her with a nickname? Maybe something like Yuka-tan could be cute. “I meant, Hakurei-senpai wants to borrow some pine resin so I came to get some.”

“Huh, pine resin? You’re the second random person who’s asked for it today. But there should still be some in the storage room.”

I went there to fetch some. There was barely any left, for some reason. I decided to get what I think would be enough for Reimu, and promptly came back.

“Actually, you mentioned that someone else asked you for pine resin today. Now I can’t help but to wonder about who...”

“Oh, it’s nothing important. Some guy I know wanted it for some reason I can’t fathom this morning.”

“Some guy, huh?”

“Stop it! That’s not what it sounds like. I don’t even like him that way or anything, I think…” Yukari looked flustered. I didn’t even go with that direction with what I actually said. However, this really was amusing. Hm...

“I don’t know what you’re talking about at all~

Anyway, how about we eat together? I’m meeting with Aya-chan after this.” I decided to ask her about it as we eat.

X-X-X

The two of us ended up meeting with Shameimaru Aya on the way to the cafeteria. As usual, she is being very upbeat today. I wonder, did she find a spicy rumor or something today? She’s always kind of a weird one, but she’s also probably one of the most useful. no, dangerous, err, _oddly respected_ people in this school. She ran the school’s underground site and newspaper, and in this ridiculous world that is our highschool life, she knows pretty much everyone’s secrets. Well, not all that was public knowledge or anything, but since she was my friend, I was one of the people that gets to know this side of hers.

I wouldn’t call her a close friend though. It’s more of a relationship of convenience, really. Since she’s pretty much at the top of all school news and gossip, I use her to stay up to date on everything. A popular girl should know about who’s dating who and such rumors after all, right? It’s not something I cared about much, but it’s a vital part of school life.

Meanwhile she’s fascinated with me in her own ways. I think I was doing good at keeping my secrets from her though.

Still, lately I felt like she had been pretty busy about something else, so we didn’t talk about things as much anymore. I hear it was a new transfer student or something? Ah, it made me a little jealous somehow. My little Aya-chan flying out of my grasp...

“Did you hear, did you hear? Sanada-senpai, that senior from the boxing club, was seen spending some time with a girl yesterday!” Aya-chan’s loud and excited greeting at least didn’t change.

“Oh, huh. That meathead finally thinks about something other than proteins and exercises?” I feigned interest, just so I could hear more. As Aya-chan continued to talk about the topic, Yukari was busy with her phone. Thinking about it, I remember seeing this Sanada guy hanging out with her and Kirijo-senpai before. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just something like that and Aya-chan was mistaken. Well, it would be more hilarious if this evolves into a rumor that he’s dating, so I decided to not correct Aya about it.

When we arrived at the cafeteria, it was already quite full, though we managed to secure ourselves a table eventually. Daiya joined in too, surprisingly without her two groupies. Well, I never cared much about those two anyway. I gave Daiya a smile to greet her into our small circle.

But a circle like this needed something to talk about, right? I looked around, wondering what to ask. When I see Yukari still busy with her phone, a devious smile came to my face.

“So Yuka-ta, ah, Yukari-san, about this boy…” Yuka-tan was someone easy enough to read, and thus, to tease. If she’s attracted to someone, it’s probably one of her two close friends. They spend time with each other a lot, after all.

“It’s Junpei, isn’t it?”

“Like hell!”

Oh, I missed the mark. Well, actually, there was no way that it was Junpei in the first place. Yuka-tan was genuinely offended at that mention. Poor Junpei. Maybe one day someone will fall in love with you, so keep trying I guess.

“I guess that leaves that Arisato boy then.”

And naturally, the actual answer would be Arisato Minato. The reclusive-looking but reasonably popular boy. His grades were always good yet never exceptionally so, and overall he’s not that eye-catching at first glance. Yet, I got the same kind of feeling I got from Hakurei-senpai whenever I see him. Some sort of weird charm or something, minus Hakurei-senpai’s… eccentricities. But overall he looked reasonably cool so it’s not surprising that Yuka-tan fell for him.

“Shut up…”

Oho, now this hit the mark. With a victorious smile on my face, I looked around the cafeteria to see if he was around, but he wasn’t, disappointingly. No point in continuing teasing her about it then. I could ask about when she planned to confess, but I’d like if Minato was in earshot when I asked that.

“It’s unfair if you’re only asking me about it! Aya, do you have anyone you like?”

“E-eh?” Aya wasn’t paying attention - she was busy eavesdropping on the conversation from the table across us. The business about Yukari and that Arisato guy probably would be old news to her anyway. “Oh, talking about this again? No one, really. And even if I have, wouldn’t it be lame if I just tell you all about it now?”

“...You’re no fun..” Yukari pouted. Ah, typical Aya-chan. Even if she doesn’t look like it, pretty much nothing fazes that girl. Though, Yukari, apparently still not over the fact that she was the only one exposed in this small circle of ours, decided to fire once again.

“And what about you, Sanae?”

“Ah…”

I forgot that I was the one with the most to lose on this table. This is a little awkward. For the most part, I have zero interest in romance. I mean sure, it’s not like it’s hard for me to get someone in the first place. My locker keeps getting filled with love letters more or less weekly. But I don’t feel interest in anyone, you know? Maybe this will change in the future, but right now I just can’t be bothered about it.

The issue is just... that I feel that’s kind of weird, right? For someone in my position, to still not even be thinking about dating anyone. I don’t even know what sort of rumors are floating about me now.

I glanced at everyone else on the table. Aya wasn’t paying attention, but Yukari and Daiya were leaning closely to me. I gulped. This too was another concern. Any wrong answer would push Daiya away from me. Unstable as her relationship was with me, it was a convenient one. I couldn’t afford to have that change.

So, naturally, I went with a non-answer.

“It’s a secret~”

Yukari’s groan signalled my victory here. To be fair, it really was a secret. The secret was that there were no secrets at all. I couldn’t afford to be dating anyone now. Even if it’s normal to have someone, how would they react if they see my habits? Hell, what if they see my room? Hiding things from Marisa was hard enough already.

“Aaaa, you’re so unfair...” Yukari grumbled. Meanwhile, Daiya returned back to her seat. She looked tense still, but I suppose since she was still able to look composed otherwise, she would surely be fine.

“Then-”

“For the record, I will not be entertaining your questions, miss Takeba.” Daiya was quick and firm in saving herself from trouble. It was for the best. I certainly believed that she would've melted before she would admit on her crush on me.

“Ah… Hmph. Well then.” Yukari pouted, but now that I looked at her again, she didn’t seem to take it as hard as I expected to at first.

“So, any of you plan to go to the movies today? I hear there’s a good one premiering today.”

With that, the four of us continued our pointless chatter like usual. Just empty, meaningless banter that had become a habit of ours. It was nice.

X-X-X

After school was more time spent with Yukari. Just the two of us, practicing our shots over and over. Yukari and I took turns shooting and that’s generally when a lot of our conversations happen. Sometimes admirers come to watch us, but luckily no one else came by today.

Yukari pulled her bowstring, halted, and then let go. The arrow flew, and struck the target at the very center.

“Another one! You’re in good shape today, Yukari-san.”

“Mm, this really is good for stress relief.” Her tone sounded a little annoyed, perhaps because of the love talk earlier. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that…

“On the other hand, Sanae.” She spoke just as I let go of my own arrow. It flew in the air, and then landed just short of the target. Another miss today. “You’ve been kinda out of it lately. Something on your mind?”

“Ahaha... it’s probably just some fatigue. I’ve been staying up at night lately, it’s nothing to worry about.” Lately, I’ve been picking up Monster Hunter on my PSP and had been quite busy playing that. It sure was worth my time, but I couldn’t just tell Yukari about that...

“Well, if you say so. The competition’s coming soon so you should try to get over your slump.” Her next arrow hit the bull’s eye as well. Scary.

There was a yearly interhigh archery competition that our school, Gekkoukan, participates in every year. Though, since this year we couldn’t really send an actual team for obvious reasons, we’d be joining up with a sister school, Higashifukami High, which was in Tokyo. The idea of competing for another school didn’t excite me much, while Yukari in the meantime was very gung ho about winning so she was fine with that arrangement.

But she did have a point. I should probably stop slacking off with my practice. Even if lately I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about archery, at least being more serious here would be good for my image in general.

Several rounds later and we were finally done with practice. Without any instructors (since the club was underfunded and all lately) we couldn’t do much before the planned joint practice after our midterms. Well, practicing like this with just the two of us was comfy in its own way too. Yukari was right - it really was a good way to let out stress.

Yukari treated me for an orange juice after we both changed back to our school uniforms once again. The two of us parted ways not long afterwards, since we came across both Minato and Junpei along the way. As she excused herself, I gave her an encouraging smile.

The look on her face after made me fear for my life a little.

But it was all in good fun. I didn’t immediately leave afterwards though, so I was able to hear a bit of Yukari interacting with those two. The three of them really played off well with each other, and even with all my teasing about her relationship, Yukari was being pretty naturally friendly with those two. That made me a little envious.

“Kochiya.”

“A-ah!”

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t realize that Daiya was already next to me. Since when was she this sneaky? Though she didn’t do anything, I was still surprised.

“Are you… free today?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. I looked at Daiya, feeling doubtful on what was the best way to answer it. Sure, the two of us hang out quite often. This would just be something like that, nothing out of the ordinary. But I feel like I had exploited poor Daiya a little too much today. Moreover, I should be careful too. If I encouraged Daiya a little too much, then people would start to think we were actually a couple. I wouldn’t want to get Daiya’s hopes up that high after all.

“Kitashirakawa mentioned that your last mathematics quiz result was… abysmal. So I believe that it would be prudent for me to tutor you on it.” Daiya sighed. Surprisingly, she regained her composure faster than I thought. Maybe academics really was the one thing she could fully focus herself on.

“Is everything alright? You usually don’t score this low.” she asked.

“Maybe it’s the fatigue from archery practice. We’re having a competition soon, after all.” Sorry for this, Yukari, but our archery club was always so convenient to use as an excuse for everything.

“I suppose I can’t blame you for that.” Daiya sighed. “It’s just that lately I also see you spending more time with that ☐☐☐☐☐. I worry that she might be getting into your mind a bit too much.”

“...Who?” I couldn’t really recognize the name Daiya just spoke. It sounded like gibberish to me. Daiya looked at me in surprise, but didn’t contest what I said. Maybe she just saw someone else and thought it was me.

“...You’re right. I apologize for that.”

“Hm hm, are you feeling jealous, Daiya-san~?” As an uncomfortable feeling suddenly appeared within me, what I did to fight against it was, naturally, teasing. With a wicked grin I smiled at Daiya, who suddenly became very flustered even as she was still trying to look composed.

“Kochiya! I-I’m…”

“Hm hm… well, I’m fine with that. In the end, you’re the one that always stands next to me, so it’s natural for you to feel like that.” That wicked grin smoothly transitions into a warm one. I would like to think that I was pretty good at doing that now. The careful balance of playful cruelty and kindness. “So don’t worry, I won’t abandon you just like that.”

“I…” Naturally, this only made Daiya even more flustered. Perhaps kindness was even crueler than teasing when it came to Daiya. Teasing at least wouldn’t get her hopes up, after all.

“Well, where do you want us to study together? I’m sure I’ll ace our next test if you’re the one teaching me. Unlike Kitarashirakawa-san, I can understand your explanations, after all.”

“A-ah, right.” At least that brought Daiya back into reality. I let her be for a moment so that she got her composure back. “Why not Chagall, as usual?”

“Hm, lately I don’t feel like going there. I’m in the mood for burgers actually. Why not Wild Duck instead? Or, are you too fancy to eat fast food?”

“W-well, I am! But if it’s with you… I guess it’s alright.”

I tried my best not to laugh. Ah, Daiya. You really only convinced me further and further that I shouldn’t fall in love anytime soon. You were such an adorable disaster…

The two of us continued to talk with each other as we walked towards the train station. Even if I didn’t love her back, I suppose Daiya really was someone very important to me. And days like this… ah, I wish it wouldn’t just end, ever.

X-X-X

By the time I arrived, the dorm was empty. Mitsuru-senpai’s ninja-like maid would’ve left at this hour. Mitsuru never stayed here, Marisa was always busy, and Hakurei-senpai… actually, I never really knew much about her activities outside of school. All I knew was that she often came back to the dorm very late at night, so I rarely saw her. And that’s if she just didn’t disappear all night entirely. For a Kirijo, that sort of behavior was very weird. Granted, ultimately she was adopted and she didn’t get along well with Kirijo-senpai either, so that might be related to it.

That was not really my business to know, but I couldn’t help but feel curious about it sometimes. But for now, I decided to make some instant ramen and coffee before returning to my room. Monster Hunter was already calling for me, and I had already set my mind to spend the whole night on it.

“Oh Sanae. Did you bring that resin?”

_Hakurei-senpai, you’re already here?_ I thought that to myself. Seeing a wild Hakurei-senpai in her natural habitat was a rare opportunity. Right now she was enjoying a cup of coffee while reading a book. I thought she was studying at first, but it was actually a novel. Didn’t know she was the type to read novels, but in hindsight, that was expected of a Kirijo. I tried to peek at the content of the novel, but just reading a paragraph made me physically recoil.

That sure was, uh, a surprising choice for Hakurei-senpai to be very deep into. I wasn’t the type to judge but for someone so cool… that book was just trashy. I decided to give her the resin and quickly sit across from her so I didn’t have to see that book much.

“Do you want me to cook for you? I’m free right now.”

“It’s fine, Hakurei-senpai. I don’t want to burden you too much.”

“I haven’t cooked for others in a while, it’s nice to practice sometimes.”

I decided not to contest that. She wouldn’t be as bad as Marisa. That alone, I could feel as a hunch. She finished her coffee and left her book open before leaving for the kitchen.  
“So, how was school?” I heard her ask as she prepared the utensils. Her voice was a little monotone, but I was more surprised that she asked that at all.

“I’m um, fine. The classes are a bit tough and Takeba-san’s been getting harsher with me. But I’m doing fine, and Daiya-san even helped me with math earlier.”

“Daiya-san, huh. Wasn’t that your girlfriend? Or so I heard.”

“No, she’s not.” I was a little unsurprised that it had already become a rumor. Perhaps I should get Aya’s help to quash that rumor before it got too big for me to handle.

“How about-”

“Shameimaru-san’s doing fine.” Since Aya was nowhere around this dorm, I felt safe in just referring to her formally, rather than the cutesy name she got me to call her with. “She’s been busy with a new transfer student though. Wonder why…”

“I see.”

After that, Hakurei-senpai was silent. SItting alone at the table made me a little conscious. It wasn’t Marisa, but Hakurei-senpai, someone I wasn’t really close with, cooking for me. It was not the first time I would eat her cooking, but it’s the first time she cooked only for myself. I was stimulated to fidget around a little, but it felt like she would notice my movements even from within the kitchen.

Luckily for me then, she finished quickly. When she brought out a tray I half-expected the same assortment of failure that defined Marisa, but my expectations were subverted. The last time Reimu cooked for us was months ago when she prepared soup and fish for the four of us, but this time she prepared something else. It was a pork cutlet, already served in a bowl. Looking behind at the kitchen, she seemed to cook enough to serve everyone else too. The crisp of the deep-fried pork was mouth-watering, and when I actually tasted it, it was as heavenly as it looked.

“Your cooking is really great, Hakurei-senpai!”

I had to admit, with how good this cutlet was, I was somewhat annoyed that Hakurei-senpai didn’t cook for us more often, instead of having me do it most of the time. At least, this sure made me less motivated to cook for myself.

“Cooking is always a good skill to have, no matter who you are. I just happen to be close with the Kirijo servants when I was younger, so I learned from them.”  
In a manner not befitting of a prim and proper lady, I finished the cutlet quite fast, half hoping that I could get seconds. It sure was a way better alternative than eating instant ramen again.

“Hakurei-senpai,” I decided to start a conversation, with the hope that I could lead this into asking for a second portion from her. “What do you usually do after school? No, actually, you skip school a lot anyway. What’s up with that?”

“Oh, that.” At that time, Reimu had returned to her seat and had put down her reading glasses. She looked around for a bit as if she was hoping nobody else was around before answering my question. “Don’t tell anyone about it, but I actually work part-time. I admit, I often prioritize those over school, so that is what usually keeps me busy.”

“Wait,” That made no sense. My mind started to go to strange places when I tried to find a reasoning why would someone in Hakurei-senpai’s position do menial work. “Aren’t you in the Kirijo household? Why would you need to work part time?”

“I don’t see it like that. I refuse to live by their mercy.” She was sounding somewhat uncomfortable now, but her answer seemed to be genuine. I was surprised she was willing to answer at all. She probably was in a good mood. “Kirijo and I walk a separate path. She is the company’s heir, and I will have my own life.”

So, it was that sort of reasoning. I could respect that...

“What sort of job it is, Hakurei-senpai?” With Hakurei-senpai’s explanation, I felt that it probably wasn’t something scandalous or illegal. I couldn’t help but to have my mind still stuck there, but I really doubted that to be the case here.

“Well, I do several things, but mostly I work as a waitress in Cafe Chagall.”

“M-maid?” I gulped. My mind struggled to imagine how Reimu would look as a maid, and how different would she act than usual. A prim and proper looking Reimu, with polite and warm tone greeting customers…

I wouldn’t say I was smitten, but I understood where Marisa was coming from now.

“Marisa-senpai has it tough…”

“Hm? In what way?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.” I laughed it off politely. Hakurei-senpai was amazing but I doubted that she was a mindreader. She was not Komeiji-san, who could tell whenever I lied just by reading my face. That girl was way too scary.

“Hm.” Hakurei-senpai did seem to be looking intensely at me for some reasons. I felt shivers, but I wasn’t sure about why.

“Kochiya. Did anything happen between you and ☐☐☐☐☐ lately?

“...Who is that, senpai?” That unintelligible name again. Why couldn’t people stop telling me that I had anything to do with that thing! I could only keep up a smile as I asked Hakurei-senpai about it back. If I could get it straight with her, then for the rest I could just handle it through Aya, like usual.

“Kochiya, this is ridiculous.” Hakurei-senpai firmly spoke. She didn’t stand up, but her gaze on me became sharper.

“Did anything happen between you and Usami Sumireko?”

X-X-X

_Right before me, Helen had broken free from its cocoon. The wooden figurehead that kept inside its form had been shattered, and now the world, no, Usami Sumireko was able to see it in all of its awfulness._

_There was no other way. I told that to myself. Without this, Usami would’ve died. I tried convincing myself of that._

_Naturally, it was strange for one’s Persona Ability to not be available. For it to still be dormant, as if the Persona manifested incompletely. And, it really was. All along, I knew what Helen could actually do. But I kept it hidden, deep within itself. To keep a distance from the rest of SEES, to not disturb Kirijo-senpai’s position on our team. To keep my own shortcomings hidden deep within myself._

_And yet, without thinking much about it, I threw all that away here. For this Usami, who brought nothing to me but difficulties, I had to reveal Helen’s true self._

_The star chart above that showcased the threats around me had a singular flame that glowed in a purple light. Even Helen itself had acknowledged it. That Usami Sumireko was a threat to me._

_All because she was someone that I cared for way too much._

X-X-X

_Everything was silent._

_The darkness that filled my eyes had dissipated. I could feel fresh blood dripping from my ears onto my uniform, and the headless arrow I used to do so was still on my hand._

_I… did all that without even thinking about it. Just because I saw Usami getting beaten up. Just because I knew about this Shadow’s secrets while she didn’t. I destroyed my own hearing, just because I didn’t want to see her die here._

_The wounded Shadow was not far away from where I was. It didn’t seem like it realized that I was not affected by its voice anymore._

_I took aim._

_With one shot powered by Helen, I blew the Shadow away and tore through its mask, revealing the half-melting face that was behind it. A glance on Sumireko showed that the shot was enough to dispel the Shadow’s magic, but I couldn’t bear to look at her for longer._

_She made me do this._

_My feelings for her made me do this. Even if Helen could heal my hearing again, Usami Sumireko had made me deafen myself, just like all the ridiculousness that she had gotten me to do so far. She made me yell at Mitsuru to defend her. She made me defend her against that Shadow on the rooftop, even if that failed. She made me care for her, empathize with her, all because we both were just so similar._

_I hate that._

_I hate, hate, hate, hate that._

_With each words of hatred and frustration, I fired my arrows at the Shadow. This was supposed to be a good way to handle stress, but all it did was make me angrier._

_I was angry at myself. I should’ve been more careful. In the end, it was all on me. I was the one that lowered my guard to Usami._

_And in the end my fears were right. It was a mistake._

_And so, I shot my final arrow._

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is based on "The Song when I Became Lively" by Diao Ye Zong. A very nice song, it's a good accompanying track to this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, won't do longer A/N this chapter but I should mention that I will be taking a hiatus for the next two weeks. 
> 
> Still, I hope you all still enjoy this chapter!


	21. Chapter 15: Looking Closely

X-X-X

### Chapter 15: Looking Closely

X-X-X

_May 15th, 2009  
Friday  
Gekkoukan High_

“...Huh. It’s morning already.”

The ringing of the alarm clock awakened Aya from her sleep. Sleeping on a desk couldn’t be healthy by any means, and Aya immediately felt it as her spine let out a small cracking noise just as she got up. The computer screen before her was still alight, showcasing what she had worked on last night - one of the articles for the month’s official school newspaper issue.

With a grunt, she turned off her alarm before picking up her bag. The chances would be very slim, but it would be dangerous if anyone overheard that noise here. After all, Aya was more or less trespassing on school grounds by staying overnight in this place. It was one of Gekkoukan’s many unused rooms. The one that Aya currently resided in was the largest of them all, its purpose unknown. She was one of the very few that even knew of the existence of these basement rooms. And she’d rather keep it that way.

It took her almost half an hour to find a safe way to go to the bathroom, prepare herself for the day, then go to her class without anyone noticing where she came from. Since it wasn’t even half-past seven yet, she expected that there would be no one in class yet, but a stern voice surprised her.

“You certainly love sleeping down there, don’t you?” Greeting Aya was a pink-haired girl sitting near the middle of the classroom. Her expression was that of someone that seemed to be too tired about the world to react in any other way. “Are there any issues with your own room that you have not yet told me about?”

“N-nothing, really. I just overworked myself last night.” Aya gave the pink-haired girl her widest smile. “Still, thanks for your concern.”

“This is less my concern about you and more how those issues might affect the other tenants. The ones that actually pay to stay.” The girl shook her head dismissively. “Why don’t you just decide to live down there instead? An underground secret base seems like a good place to stay for a rat like you.”

“H-hey… That’s a little too cruel, Satori…”

Komeiji Satori was the name of the girl. While she was still a teenager, she lived on her own in a very big house around the northern part of the city. Due to this, she rented out some of the rooms there for other students. Aya lived in her place as a tenant, though her circumstances were a little complicated.

Nevertheless, the two of them were also quite close as friends. Friends that loved to insult each other, sure, but Aya actually enjoyed it whenever Satori was being cruel to her with her words. Being insulted was a far better outcome than many other things that Satori could actually do to her.

“Still, I’m surprised that you came early. You tend to have a lot to do every morning.” Aya sat on the table next to Satori’s and cozied herself up. Talking with Satori was something she hadn’t got much chance to do lately.

“My doctor told me to do early morning jogs more often, so I decided to adjust my schedule for it immediately.” Satori replied dryly. “I believe that a jog from the station to school was quite adequate for my purposes.”

“But you don’t look like you’re sweating at all though…”

“I jogged for around ten steps and decided to walk for the rest.” Satori shrugged. “I have to start somewhere, after all.”

“...Well, you’re not wrong.” Aya giggled.

Satori might not really look like it, but Aya believed that she was the most dangerous person in this school, putting aside anyone connected with the Kirijo Group. She was the kind of person that could read someone very well just by looking at their face, to the point that she was almost like a mindreader. And she also had a knack of tearing apart people verbally when she felt like it. Satori was the one person that Aya knew could demolish everything that she had tried to build for herself so far.

But in a way, that was a liberating feeling. Acknowledging her own weakness before Satori’s all-seeing eye allowed Aya to act quite loosely around Satori without much worry. Since Aya had no hope of getting any upper hand against Satori, she would never have any reason to try opposing her. She just needed to make sure not to make herself a threat to her.

Although... Satori did have a little secret that Aya happened to be privy of, though it was not one she could use meaningfully against her.

“So… how’s your work going? I heard last time you were having a little difficulty in continuing.” Aya decided to touch on it a little.

“I might have to delay it again. I don’t feel like the ideas are flowing well in my head lately.” Satori sighed, but at the next moment she immediately glared at Aya. “Though, didn’t I tell you not to talk about this in school?”

“Oh, did you, Ms. Meiko~?”

No one was around at the time. In their solitude, Aya felt safe in teasing Satori over her little secret.

Aside from being a high school-aged landlord, Satori’s primary occupation was actually a writer. Aya wasn’t really a particular fan of fiction herself, but being friends with an accomplished writer felt nice in its own way. Though, Satori did write underneath a pseudonym so that it wouldn’t disrupt her school life.

And that was it. That career of hers was what Satori kept from most others as her secret. Theoretically, it was something that Aya could use as a weapon against her, but uncovering it would only cause small inconvenience to Satori, while Satori herself could destroy everything Aya knew and loved in retaliation. There was just no equality at all in this part of their dynamic. Although, part of her did want to see if she could perhaps find a way to drag Satori into an arrangement of mutually-assured destruction...

As Aya was lost in her thoughts, Satori had pulled out her notebook and began writing. Aya noticed that it was the notebook where she usually wrote ideas and drafts for her stories. It was a rare sight. Usually, Satori wouldn’t even consider writing in public since she disliked all the disturbances. This was quite unlike, for example, that Usami girl, who would continue writing during recess and even in the middle of class sometimes, while deluding herself that nobody noticed her.

“Huh. Didn’t you say that you’re running out of your creative juices or something earlier?” Aya said as she attempted to look at what Satori had just worked on, but Satori protected it from view with her arms.

“Well, seeing that you’re still being very _you_, I decided to put you in my story as my way to break my writer’s block.” Satori answered, still refusing to let Aya peek at what she worked on.

“Oooh, I’m honored with your decision, dear esteemed master.” Aya continued her attempt to peek. “What role did you put me into, anyway? A dashing savior to your main character? Or perhaps, a devious villain that would stop at nothing to ruin your main character’s life?”

“A side character that will die in a few chapters.”

“...Oh.” Aya retreated back to her seat, looking disappointed. Satori’s rhythm in the meantime was undisturbed.

“That’s a role fitting for you, isn’t it? There’s a lot of dumb people already in my story, but there’s none that have your particular brand of idiocy just yet.”

“Well, whatever you say then. You writers are always very weird to me.” Aya shrugged. She was slightly disappointed at only having a minor role in Satori's work, though it was not a thing for her to fret over for too long.

"Besides, aren't you the strange one here?" Satori said wryly. "Constantly snooping around in other students' affairs without any shame. I imagine that blackmail ledger of yours is getting pretty long by now."

"Hey..." Aya smiled nervously, worried she had accidentally hit a nerve.

"Not to mention how you allow yourself to be deliberately held back grades. Afraid to leave highschool for the real world, perhaps?"

"It's not..."

"Well, whatever." Despite what Satori had just said, she smiled a little afterwards. "I suppose that's just what makes you the inimitable Shameimaru Aya. And you did help me overcome my writer's block, so I suppose I owe you some small bit of gratitude for that."

After all the tension, Aya could only laugh at that. In the end, that was just Satori’s usual brand of endearing insult that Aya enjoyed to hear. Or at least, that was what Aya interpreted it as. She couldn’t read Satori’s mind, after all.

"Speaking of dumb, you've been getting closer with that Usami lately, haven't you?" Satori asked. Aya raised her eyebrows at her, questioning. On one hand, it was natural for Satori to notice that sort of thing, but on the other hand, she went out with a lot of people in general. Aya was sure that Satori had never even brought up her current relationship with Marisa in any of their conversations.

After waiting, Satori didn’t give further clarification. However, Aya decided to reply.

“I’ve been dragging her into investigating miscellaneous things with me, yeah.” Aya admitted.

“...For?”

“Mostly my paper. Although I also got several requests lately that I needed an extra hand to deal with, too.” Aya looked upwards, trying to remember how the last few days went. “She resisted at first, but she surprisingly got quite into it once we were actually on the field. Maybe she has a natural knack for it or something.”

“Stalking someone for blackmail material is not an investigation.”

“H-hey, we do other things too!” Aya’s face reddened. Satori knew how to press her buttons. “Like, just yesterday we found a pile of cult posters in one of the boys’ bathrooms, and-”

“So, other than being a shameless paparazzi, now you are reclassing as a pervert too?” Satori’s tone became sharper as she cut off Aya. “And not only that, but you also-”

“H-hey! That’s way too far, Satori!” Aya raised her voice. Satori gave her a skeptical look, but she dropped it after. She probably picked up that Aya was telling her the truth. “I’m not that low, alright? Moreover, Sumi-chan is only into girls. Well, mostly Sanae, but...”

“Sanae, of all people huh? I heard rumors that the two were dating, but… hmph. Seeing someone making the mistake of a lifetime is never fun.“ Satori grumbled. She had never been a fan of Sanae, and the reason the two had never gotten into an argument was more because Satori always decided to avoid Sanae if she could. “I won’t judge her bad taste in people, I suppose. But, back to our earlier topic, why were you in the boys’ bathrooms in the first place?”

“Well, we got dragged by Odagiri from the student council to investigate those cult posters in the first place, so I got someone to fess up and give us a tip about those pile of posters hidden in one of the supposedly broken toilet booths.” Aya paused. “Actually, why are you so curious about this in the first place?”

“It’s more about that Usami girl than you. I’ve been interested in watching her lately. And I mean, you’ve been doing the same thing too.”

“...That is a good point, yes.” Aya knew that their reasonings for why they kept an eye on Sumireko would be wildly different, but she just nodded along to what Satori said for now.

“She just has that sort of tendency to be amusing to watch. And who knows, maybe I’ll be writing someone like her into my story later.” Satori twirled her pen. She had paused her writing and now was looking at Aya. “Don’t worry, I won’t make her role bigger than yours.”

“That’s not something I’m worried about…”

“I saw your disappointment earlier. You tend to leave out more emotion on your face than you think.” Satori huffed. “But hm, actually… what is the cult about, anyway?”

“Something about an obscure greek goddess who would end the world or something. It’s that sort of silly stuff.” Aya paused, looking questioningly at Satori who for some reason looked more serious as she described the cult. Satori usually showed open disdain for cults and similar organizations, so this took Aya by surprise. “...Why are you interested in this sort of nonsense?”

“It sounds like good material for my writing. Don’t worry, I’m not going to suddenly join this cult behind your back.” Satori said it as she jotted down what Aya said to her notebook. “With that in mind, would you mind grabbing me one of those posters?”

“All of them are in the student council room now, though. But sure.” Aya accepted her request. Her sudden shift to caring about a cult like this was odd, but maybe that was just part of the strangeness of the writerfolks. In the end, Satori’s method of getting inspiration might not be all that different from Aya’s methodology in general. “I’ll just sneak in there and grab one as usual.”

“Thief.” Satori said it in the closest tone to playful that someone like Satori could manage before continuing to write. “Hah… what am I to do without you, Shameimaru...?”

“I could say the same to you, Satori. Us weirdos gotta stick together, I guess.”

The two of them laughed it off. Not long after, the first batches of students came into the class, which prompted Satori to pack her writing into her bag once more. And taking it as her cue, Aya decided to return to her desk and pull out her notebook. It was time for her to plan her schedule today.

X-X-X

It was lunch break. A boy had just left one of the boy’s bathrooms inside of the school, looking confused as if he was missing something. However, before he was able to go anywhere, someone grabbed his shoulder.

“Please stop where you are standing.” From behind him, Aya made her appearance known. She was smiling as she put her head uncomfortably close to his. It was one of the most remote bathrooms in the school, so there was barely anyone there at the time other than the two.

“Toyama Shinji, was it? What good timing. I have something important that I want to talk to you about.” Aya’s smile became wider. She could feel the boy shaking, even as Aya only put her hand on his shoulder.

“W-who are you?”

“Just a local nosy reporter. One that just happens to know about a tiny little secret that you’re hiding..” Aya continued. She enjoyed pushing her tone around in a way to make the boy more and more uncomfortable.

“W-wait, what sort of thing would someone like you want from me? Just get away from me!” The boy pushed Aya aside, trying to run from her, but his steps were already unsteady from Aya’s words, and Aya managed to keep her grip on him.

“Hm hm, it is rude to leave a girl behind when she wants to talk with you, you know?” Aya pouted as her hold on the boy’s shoulder became tighter for a moment. She then pulled out a poster out of nowhere, and brandished it to the boy. “Is this what you’re looking for, hm?”

“How did you get that?” The boy forcefully turned himself around and faced Aya. His face was a mix of anger and fear. It was the sort of expression that Aya loved to see whenever this sort of situation happened.

“How did I get it…? I can’t exactly recall. Maybe you can ask one of your friends about it?” Aya shrugged. With the poster still displayed between them, the boy remained in his place, his desire to escape had disappeared. His eyes widened as he heard what Aya had to say.

Aya guessed that he finally realized that one of his friends had sold him out.

“Well, how I know about it is not important. Right now, the rest of the posters are with the student council’s disciplinary committee. You know what will happen to you if news comes out that you are the one behind these posters’ appearance, right?” Aya maintained a calm demeanor to further assert her dominance in this conversation. Her lips curled further, turning her smile into a clear devilish one. Aya slowly drew the tip of her thumb across her throat to get the point further across.

The boy was silent. All that anger and fear within him had been replaced with an expression of hopelessness.

“Oh, but don’t fret. I’m here not to torment you about it. In fact, I would say that I am your ally here.” Aya continued.

“B-bullshit! You just want to blackmail me into doing something unpleasant, don’t you?” The boy, however, was skeptical.

Aya sighed. “I’m not that evil, my dear Shinji. All I want is information. Answer my question properly, and I won’t let the disciplinary committee connect these posters to you.” As she finished the sentence, Aya shifted into a more serious, focused expression. “So, who is responsible for giving you these posters? Is it someone from the cult, or someone else entirely?”

“...I…”

“Hm?”

“...Alright, I’m not a part of this cult or whatever it is, ok? It was just some weirdo who gave these posters to me and my friend and promised to give us money if we put up these posters in our school. The rest thought it was a prank, but when I put them up, I got a lot of money. That’s it, really!” The boy yelled all that in rapid succession. Aya eyed him judgingly, but the boy surprisingly was looking firm after answering.

“Is that so…” In a flash Aya had replaced the poster in her hand with her small notebook as she rapidly recorded what the boy had to say. “Do you happen to remember anything about the weirdo?”

“W-well… he was kinda tall, and his hair was long and slightly curly. His voice was pretty muffled though, since he was wearing a facemask. We usually meet near the Tatsumi Port Station.”

“Is that all?”

“Y-yes, that’s all I know.... So please, don’t let me get me expelled…”

“Hmph. We’ll just see about it then. Keep your ears on others’ word of mouth, alright? The news of your fate might spread before it is properly announced, after all.” Aya pocketed her notebook. “But for now, you are free to go. Thank you for your time in answering me truthfully.”

The moment Aya finished, the boy had already ran away from her.

Now alone, the sight made Aya wonder. How scary was she earlier? She enjoyed tormenting people like that and to make herself as threatening as she could manage with her words, but sometimes she wondered if she ended up overdoing it instead.

Oh well.

Whatever that boy would feel about her was none of her business right now. Even if he would hate her, the moment he made a move against her would be the end of him. Then again, she had no intention of connecting him to the posters in the first place, but having something to threaten people with was always convenient.

“...Is this business as usual for you, Aya?”

“Oh, how long have you been there, Sumi-chan?”

The suddenness of Sumireko’s judging voice surprised Aya, although she maintained her composure as she turned around. Aya gave her a friendly smile. From Sumireko’s expression however, it was definitely not enough to placate her.

“Long enough to understand the situation, I guess.”

“Did I scare you with my performance earlier?” Aya asked with a teasing voice.

“None of it was a surprise coming from you, so no.” Sumireko sighed instead. “Break time’s over soon. Don’t you think we should return to class?”

“Sure. I'm done here anyway.”

X-X-X

“It’s unusual that you’re listening to music in school.”

“Hm? Are there any issues with it?”

Aya raised her eyebrows at the bespectacled girl in front of her. The class was already over, but Aya noticed that Sumireko had been paying a lot of attention to her ever since they returned to class after lunch break. While she understood why, listening to music shouldn't be anything that weird. The particular track in question fit with what had happened lately in their school, anyway.

“What sort of music is that, anyway?”

“Eh, it’s nothing big. It’s the debut track of a young pop idol that never went far. Found it by accident a few days ago, and I think it’s surprisingly nice.” Aya answered Sumireko’s question nonchalantly.

“...By accident? That sounds suspicious when it comes from you, of all people.” Sumireko looked at Aya with an accusing gaze.

“Aw, come on!” Aya grumbled. Sumireko was right in questioning further in this situation, but Aya had no intentions of playing her cards right now. That would only lead to disaster. “No matter how many times you say that I’m a demon, I’m still human, you know? Why can’t I just enjoy some nice music for myself for once?”

“...I apologize.” Sumireko quietly retreated back to her seat. Aya wondered if she sounded a bit too harsh with her reply.

“Hey hey, no need to be glum like that. If you’re curious, the artist’s name is Minakata Kana. She’s more of a local darling though, so I doubt you’ll find much info on her online. My taste is obscure like that.” As Aya said it, the song on her Walkman ended so she decided to stop the playback and pocketed the device. “Looking up information about obscure artists is something like an investigation work too. It’s quite fun!”

Several days had passed since Aya had started dragging Sumireko around for miscellaneous investigations. For the most part, she decided on doing it on a whim, trying to see how Sumireko would react to such an offer, but surprisingly she had been more receptive about it than Aya had expected. It would be hard to describe their current relations as friendship, but the past few days definitely had opened Sumireko more to Aya.

“As fun as you find digging up dirt on people, I assume.” Sumireko huffed. “You really are a pain in the ass.”

“Oh nice, that’s a new one.” Aya replied to Sumireko’s complaint with a stupid grin. “Part of being more open to others is being able to get more creative in how you insult them, after all.”

“...I’m serious, Aya.” Sumireko looked at Aya glumly. It felt like she had a heavy weight on her shoulders at the time. “I thought you were just dragging me to get you material for the school newspaper, but it just ends up being a way for you to add more to your blackmail stockpile.”

“Don’t fret. The responsibility’s on me. In the end, I’m just showing you the ropes so you can eventually do it later yourself.” From the little Aya had read from Sumireko’s little story project, this “Renko” that was her protagonist also loved this sort of tactic. It didn’t seem like Sumireko wanted to own up to it just yet, however.

“I-I’m not-”

“That’s fine, that’s fine. Eventually you’ll learn the joys of righteous blackmailing.” Aya laughed, but promptly stopped herself before she attracted too much attention.

“...Getting closer to you really is a bad idea.” Sumireko was downcast. “How does someone like you even get approved to run the school newspaper, anyway?”

“Because I actually do my job even when I’m all alone.”

The newspaper club in school right now pretty much only had Aya as its active member, however Aya had proven herself to be consistently productive, on top of being able to outsource the less pleasant work to others, naturally without crediting them. This was the whole reason why she still got the official recognition as well as the funding for it, though most of said funding was used for her daily life as well as the cost for running the school’s underground website.

That probably would count as fraud, but Aya felt that she deserved it anyway.

“But I did plan for the poster to be part of one of the newspaper articles warning the students about cults and strange outside activities in our school. It’s just that I have more obligations than just writing articles, you know?” Aya continued.

“...Well, whatever you say.” Sumireko looked at the poster that was now on Aya’s table. “The ‘Cult of Nyx’, huh. I heard something about it somewhere online in the past few weeks or so. Though, it’s definitely not something that interests me, so I didn’t dig further.”

“Somewhere, huh. Do you usually browse any occult forum sites?” Aya hazarded a guess.

“N-no, not really. Occult stuff is totally lame. It’s the sort of childish delusion that only middle schoolers would care about.” Sumireko didn’t want to look at Aya as she said that. It was cute how obvious it was whenever Sumireko was hiding something, but Aya decided to respect her privacy for once and not press further.

“In the end, I don’t have any intention to get the guy kicked out of school. I just needed to use that threat to get the important info. If there’s a chest and I have its key, why shouldn’t I use it?” To prevent awkwardness, Aya returned the conversation back to where it was before.

“...I guess you’re right. He wouldn’t speak up unless you pressed him.” Sumireko fidgeted, looking uncomfortable that she had just agreed to something that Aya said. “But this still doesn't mean that I’ll agree with your methods. Sleazy jerks like you are universally awful.”

“Another new insult! You’re learning very fast, Sumi-chan.”

“I.... ugh! Why are you like this, Aya?”

“Well, it’s an important part of friendship, being able to insult people that are close to you. You see how Kirisame-senpai and Sanae are like, right? Sanae’s insults toward Kirisame-senpai are vicious, but they both do it in good spirit so everything's alright.” Hm. After she said that, Aya paused, thinking more about what she had just said. Saying the ‘S-word’ to Sumireko at this time might not be the best idea.

However, before Aya could speak again, she noticed someone nearby had gotten up from their desk to leave. It was Sanae. Did she overhear what the two were talking about? Aya’s gaze followed her as she silently left the classroom.

Her expression lately had been glum, even if she pretended that everything was alright. Moreover, she had been treating Sumireko, and only her, as non-existent for some reason. The person in question didn’t really seem to know about why, either. Though Sumireko did mention that Sanae and herself had gotten into some sort of accident together a while ago. It might be related to that.

“...Aya? Are you alright? You’re suddenly spacing out.” Sumireko’s voice brought her back into reality.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I’ve just been…”

In the end, it was good that Sumireko didn’t put more thought into Sanae. Showing any visible worry about Sanae’s situation would only cause issues. She decided to shift the topic before Sumireko had a chance to reply. “Back to what I’m saying. While insults are part of close friendship, there are definitely people that you should never, ever insult to their face. For example, our beloved class president-”

“...Who is she, again?” Sumireko looked at Aya in confusion. That reaction managed to surprise Aya.

“Wait, you didn’t know?” Aya asked in shock.

Sumireko shook her head. “I never really paid much attention about that sort of thing. I guess when it’s people that don’t really interest me, I tend to just eventually treat them all like the faceless masses that they are.”

“...You really are quite something, Usami.” Aya sighed. It was a miracle that Sumireko didn’t get herself into much more trouble in school if this was her attitude in how she even dealt with her daily life. “Her name’s Kitashirakawa Chiyuri. You know, that blonde with huge twintails that acts bossy all the time? That’s our class president.”

“Blonde…” Sumireko didn’t seem like she was paying attention to what Aya said. Aya shook her head.

“You know, that girl that keeps getting into yelling contests with Daiya? Bootlicker of teachers? The one and only person that never gets invited by anyone anywhere after school?” Aya got up from her chair. Something about detailing all that made her feel fired up. “Doesn’t all that ring a bell to you, Usami?”

“...No, I don’t think-” Before Sumireko was able to finish her sentence, she suddenly stopped. Her mouth was agape as if she saw a ghost. Aya looked at her in wonder before she felt someone tapping her shoulder.

Behind her, a blonde, twin-tailed girl was smiling menacingly at her.

“Sha-mei-ma-ru, here you are!”

The class president, Kitashirakawa Chiyuri, greeted her with a voice that could not hide the sharp knives buried under it. Aya gulped in response. She turned around to Sumireko, but that girl had already left her behind without saying a word.

“Bootlicker of teachers, you say? Just wait until I tell Okazaki-sensei about this!”

_You’re only digging yourself deeper…_

Aya sighed. As much as Chiyuri was the smartest kid in class, Aya found her to be a little lacking in common sense. She wondered if the irony of what she just said even registered on that girl's mind. Although, her mention of Okazaki was relieving, at least. That teacher was still hospitalized the last time Aya checked, and moreover… she was not the kind of person that would care about something as petty as this. She was not in any danger outside of being yelled at by Chiyuri the further she was stuck in this situation.

She would never say it to Chiyuri’s face, but she found her to be a little pitiful due to this. Aya wondered what a bright girl like her saw in that useless teacher. All the admiration she had for that Okazaki felt misplaced.

“Actually, between me and Sumireko earlier, we were just talking about some ways kids in this class were talking about you behind your back.” Aya made up her decision on what she would do. It was technically true. She was just trying to see if Sumireko even knew any of the common talking points about Chiyuri in their class.

“...And?”

“Well, it’s sad to hear all that considering how much you worked hard for us.” Aya patted her. “So I guess then I decided to treat you out somewhere today. How’s that sound?”

Seeing Chiyuri’s dumbfounded expression, Aya made a silent celebration. She got this situation in the bag.

X-X-X

“...And that’s how I escaped Chiyuri. It was close, but when I invited her out to the cafe I guess she couldn’t resist...”

Marisa grinned in response to Aya’s story. The flicker of the bedside light tinted the room a cozy orange as the two laid next to each other on the bed. Marisa was on her side, head propped up by her hand, while Aya laid on her back, enjoying the light playing across Marisa’s warm features.

“So you dragged Sumi along, too?”

“Naturally. I caught up to her and dragged her with me before she could leave school on her own. Though, when Chiyuri started lecturing her about her grades, I figured that was the perfect time to sneak out.” Aya stretched out in a self-satisfied manner as Marisa giggled in response.

“That’s cold, Shameimaru. Not that she doesn't need a lecture or two...”

“Hey, that’s Aya to you.” Aya reached up to ruffle Marisa's hair, admiring how the curls bounced as she did so. In the meantime, Marisa let her head fall gently onto her pillow, moving in closer to Aya as she reached across her. Unsurprisingly, she was the touchy-feely sort. Aya smiled to herself. Marisa was close enough that she was able to smell her scent.

“Sorry… Aya.” Marisa’s gentle expression seemed to invite Aya in for a kiss. With such a look, it was hard for Aya to resist.

“Mm… I suppose I can forgive you. Maybe. Just this once.” But, at the last moment-

“Just don’t forget next time, okay? It’s ‘Aya-chan~’”

-she pulled away. She couldn’t let Marisa get it too easily, otherwise she might start getting spoiled. Moreover, as much as Aya was still in the mood, she was also spent.

As much as the circumstances to her relationship with Marisa was far from what one would describe as dreamy, Aya did enjoy this little moment of suffocating romance between the two of them. However, she was more a chatterbird than a lover, and there was another reason why she was here. She pushed herself up, letting the blanket covering her slide down.

“Anyway, more pressingly than messing around with Usami, my investigation on that strange cult that’s been actively putting up posters in our school ended up meeting a roadblock, much to my disappointment.” Aya sighed. At least, the feeling of the breeze from the air conditioner hitting her bare skin was soothing. The one back at her place was barely functional.

“A cult? I seem to recall some of my friends talking about it.” Marisa sounded quite indifferent about the topic. “Do you know any specifics?”

“Typical doomsday cult, I guess. Talks about how their goddess will return one day and bring the end of the world.” Aya shrugged. “I don’t know why they’re recruiting highschoolers so openly, but I guess the poster mentioned that they tend to host meetings in one of the hotels on the north end of the city, and that their leader is named Sakaki Takaya.”

“Sakaki, huh.” Something about the name made Marisa pause. She was still lying down, but her expression was as if she was thinking deeply about something.

“Did you recognize that name?”

“I… maybe my memory was just fuzzy, that’s it.” Marisa answered with an unsure tone. Aya’s eyes lit up with the promise of a lead before her, but she held herself back from barraging Marisa with various questions about it.

“Then, what will you do next? Sneak into one of their meetings?”

“Well duh. But before that, I’ll spend some time learning about their movements in detail first.” Aya snickered. “Wouldn’t want to go into a cult blind, of all places.”

“You’re Shameimaru Aya, I doubt you’ll have much trouble even then.”

“I’m not that much of a miracle worker, Marisa.” Aya huffed. Her hands went back to stroke Marisa’s hair. The feeling of having those curls bounce was addicting. Marisa’s giggle showed that she enjoyed it as well.

“Well, the next meeting won’t be until next month anyway.”

“Will you involve Sumi in this?”

“No, not really. She’d just get the two of us caught.” Aya couldn’t hide her laughter. The idea of Sumireko going on an undercover mission like that was just too funny for her to contain herself. “That girl can’t act to save her life.”

“You’re saying that as if you’re a master actor yourself.” Marisa decided to get up, even if it was just so that she was able to sit on the side of her bed and drink from a water bottle on a nearby desk. “Though as shoddy as that skill is, it has served you well so far.”

“Well, what about you, then? You look like the coolest person in school on the surface, but get closer for a bit and you can’t even maintain that image.” Aya twirled her finger in Marisa’s hair again as she said it. “What a laughably adorable disaster, you are.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Marisa laughed lightly, but her voice was stifled this time.

“No, not really.”

Aya stopped playing with Marisa’s hair and pulled her hand away from her. An unpleasant image passed through her mind just now as the conversation led itself to this point. It was the image of a certain Sanae, leaving the class silently with none of her usual brightness on her face.

As Aya spoke again, her tone became more serious.

“But it does remind me. If there’s something to compliment about you, it’s going to be about how good you are at pretending everything’s alright when it’s not. Not even I can pull that off.”

“...What do you mean?”

“You know, I'd imagine that you’d be looking more uneasy these days. Your close friend’s been going through something bad lately, after all.”

Looking at Marisa as she was right now, the thought of Sanae’s glum expression that Aya had been seeing these days pushed itself more and more into her mind. Aya knew that Marisa was the one person Sanae could genuinely care about.

So why was she acting like everything was alright?

“Even if all Sanae does lately is just avoiding Sumireko like she doesn’t exist, it’s pretty worrying.”

“...I’m aware, yeah.” The smile on Marisa’s face disappeared. “All I can say is that she’s going through something right now. That something... she refused to tell me about what it is. I think it’s pointless for me to push further if she doesn’t feel like telling.”

“As a close friend, you give up too easily.” A hint of disgust was in Aya’s voice as she said it. This wasn’t part of why she was here today, but something else had taken over her focus.

“No.” Marisa turned her gaze on Aya. There was no longer any sign of her laid back attitude that she showcased all the time before. “As a close friend, it’s also my responsibility to know when not to dig further. This is where we differ.”

“All you look like to me right now, is that you’re just standing idle and pretending that everything else is alright.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing too, lately? You’ve barely hung around Sanae yourself, from what I can see.” Marisa fired back.

_...Damn it._

Aya cursed herself. Marisa had gotten it completely right. While Aya had looked more into Sanae’s issues in her own ways too, for the most part she spent her time ignoring her. She didn’t want to admit it, but Aya was at a loss on what to do. Even with all the power she had over Sanae, none of that would be of use in actually helping Sanae.

Aya bit her lips.

No, at the same time, Aya was different from Marisa. She cared about Sanae, sure, but in the end she was just a casual associate of hers. Sanae never really saw Aya as anyone personally close to her. Unlike Marisa.

“I can’t deny that.” Aya retorted. “But unlike you, I’m nothing more than a classmate and an associate to her. Meanwhile, you’re probably one of her few emotional pillars, yet you haven’t done anything. I wish you were actually acting the part.”

“I see.” Marisa let out a heavy breath. “I guess I’ll figure out something.”

“You don’t seem all that enthusiastic about it.”

“It’s Sanae. It’s not like doing anything is easy around her. She’s someone that makes her own life too complicated for her own good.” Marisa shook her head. The seriousness in her expression disappeared. “I’m glad you distracted Sumi from this, at least. The last thing Sanae needs right now is Sumi to swoop in and make everything worse.”

“Why is she such a pain in the ass, anyway…” Aya grumbled. She decided to lay down on the bed again. Her anger for the most part had subsided. Marisa’s answer was unsatisfying, but Aya herself had acknowledged that there was nothing that either of them could do right now. Talking about all this had only made her exhausted.

However, surprising her was Marisa’s sudden movement to straddle her the moment Aya’s head hit the pillow. Marisa was now above her, seemingly raring to go once more. Her hair brushed against Aya’s cheeks as it fell.

“Let’s put that issue aside now, shall we?” Marisa locked her eyes on Aya. She could see everything from this close. Marisa’s expression was both intimidating, but at the same time, it excited Aya too. “Now that you’ve pushed me, there’s one thing that I’ve been suspecting about you all these time.”

So, it was time. This was a moment that Aya had anticipated, yet to actually experience it instead made her heart pump from excitement.

“Hmm? I don’t know what you’re talking about here, Marisa-chan~” Aya played dumb, her voice playful. “I definitely am not hiding anything further from you here.”

“Come on, it’s very clear, isn’t it?” Marisa held onto Aya’s wrists, pinning her to the bed. “You became my girlfriend because you want to know something about me and the rest of this dorm. That’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“Oho, you’re quite sharp for someone desperate for a girlfriend.” Aya closed her eyes as Marisa bit into her nape in response to her words.

It was the nature of their relationship from the start. It was a relationship of the flesh. A romance of conveniences and empty pleasures. Aya always meant to use Marisa in this relationship, just as much as Marisa wanted to use her. The words of love exchanged between them were nothing but a farce, but it was the particular kind of farce that Aya enjoyed.

“Careful with your words, there.” Marisa whispered. “You’re far from the first troublesome girlfriend I've had, you know? I know very well how to handle the likes of you.”

“Oooh, scary scary.” Aya stifled her giggling. Well, this should be fine. She had thought about this situation happening for a while already. Aya was ready.

“But you’re right. I do have my own reasons why I get closer to you and your friends.” As she said that, Aya pushed Marisa away from her body for a moment.

“Hm?”

“The truth is… I’ve been investigating a certain incident that involved the Kirijo Group. You know about what happened in Tatsumi Port around ten years ago, right?”

Even before she asked to be Marisa’s girlfriend, Aya had been debating whether she should tell her about the truth of her goal for a while. What cemented her decision in the end was Marisa’s lack of direct tie to the Kirijo Group, as well as Aya’s own personal assessment that Marisa was the least threatening individual connected with this mysterious “club” called S.E.E.S. However, Aya admitted that she had underestimated Marisa by a little bit. There was more to her than the disastrous hopeless romantic Aya thought she was. But this was fine.

"Mm, let me guess. The explosion that devastated the school building?" Marisa made her guess.

“Yep. And the large scale traffic accident on the Moonlight Bridge too.” Aya nodded as she completed Marisa’s answer. “Two large-scale incidents happening quite close to each other… it’s strange that it’s commonly seen as just a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“Now that you mention it… that really is strange. Huh.” Marisa’s ravenous expression was replaced with her pondering.

“Since the Kirijo Group owns the island and all, I figured that they might keep some secrets about the whole thing.” Aya continued. “All this is just a topic of interest of mine for quite a while. And maybe, it’s not really all that big of a deal.” She watched Marisa as she explained this, and could see just a hint of thoughtfulness behind a libertine smile. Aya could tell that Marisa was shifting into a more assertive posture again. Truly, being in her bedroom felt like being in a lion’s den.

“You did make me curious, though…” Marisa’s voice trailed off, but then the next thing Aya realized was Marisa’s lips tickling her ears once more, whispering. “I’ll allow you to continue with all the sleuthing you need, but in exchange…” Aya had to stop herself from shivering. Marisa was a little too good at this. Even this disaster of a person could be dangerous in her own way.

“I should tell you everything I know about this case so far?”

“Mm, that, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt during this investigation of yours. If you drag Sumi into this and something bad happens to her...” Marisa pulled her head away, not bothering or needing to finish that sentence.

“That… hm, it doesn’t sound so bad for a deal.” Aya’s breathing became heavier. Being that close, Aya could feel Marisa’s everything. Her arm went to embrace her as she drew her closer to herself. As tempting as the idea was, Aya’s pride just couldn’t accept letting Marisa make such a one-sided meal of her. “I’ll treat it as a lovers’ discount.”

“Generous as always… Aya-chan.” Marisa planted kisses along Aya’s neck, each more aggressive than the last. Aya smiled to herself as her hands grasped behind her lover’s head. Whatever information she wanted to share with Marisa about the investigation could wait. As much of a farce this relationship was, Aya planned to enjoy it as long as it lasted.

The night was still young… it would be such a shame to waste it.

X-X-X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there.
> 
> I apologize for my 3 months of hiatus when I said I was only going to be away for 2 weeks. Between stress and illness, it's been difficult working on this, but the current quarantine at least helped me a lot in getting back into this fic. I suppose for this chapter there will be not much notes, but I hope that moving forward I can return to a better pace in updating.
> 
> Thank you for still sticking with this fic. I hope I can deliver something great for you all.


	22. Chapter 16: Rainmaker

X-X-X

### Chapter 16: Rainmaker

X-X-X

_May 15th, 2009  
Friday  
Gekkoukan High_

Like every night before, the moment the clock struck midnight, Gekkoukan disappeared as a giant sinkhole swallowed the entire complex whole, leaving what seemed to be a bottomless abyss in its place. Under the greenish night sky, one figure calmly walked towards the edge of the sinkhole. That figure was a black-haired girl with a wooden staff in one of her hands and a pistol-like weapon in her other. Her expression was serene, as if this had become a routine for her.

However, before she made the step to fall into the abyss, the girl stopped. She sensed a movement. She did not turn around, but the way she gripped her staff made her alertness clear.

Seeing that, Marisa decided to come clean, appearing from behind Reimu with a playful grin on her face.

“Should’ve expected ya of all people to notice me that fast, Reimu.”

“Hmph.” Reimu grumbled. However, she didn’t show any sign of disapproval at Marisa’s presence, and so Marisa approached her. Reimu's eyes lingered on her a moment before moving down to the Evoker in her waist holster, then to the sword sheathed at her side. “What brings you here?”

“See, I know you’ve been sneaking into the Abyss on your own for the past two months or so. So figures that I might as well help. Feels like my skills would rust otherwise.” Marisa stretched her arms upwards in light exercise before she stepped forward, standing on Reimu’s side. “It’ll be like the old days again. Just you and me, spending time aimlessly blasting anything that stands before us. Doesn’t that sound fun, no?”

“The same as always…” Reimu shook her head. As Marisa looked at her, she saw what seemed to be a number forming over her forehead. She wasn’t sure what that meant. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light. “Whatever. If I say that you shouldn’t follow me, you will still do it anyway.”

“Hah, of course!” Marisa decided to ignore that sighting earlier. “I won’t be Kirisame Marisa if I let myself fall too far behind you!”

“You sure are enthusiastic about becoming my sidekick.”

With that as her last word, Reimu took a step forward into the chasm. Her face was devoid of reactions as she let gravity take hold of her body.

Marisa let out a deep breath - Reimu had always made it look so easy. Closing her eyes as her chest began thumping loudly, Marisa took the leap, following her.

X-X-X

Inside of the Abyss itself, their adventure itself started off with silence between them. The two of them moved past the room that Marisa recognized as where Reimu and the others fought a large Shadow a month ago. Further from this point was something that Marisa did not recognize anymore. There certainly were questions that Marisa wondered about, but Reimu was never the kind to be receptive to that sort of thing, so Marisa decided to keep quiet.

“Keep following me. I’d rather not search this long corridor for you if you get lost.”

Reimu’s voice was what kept Marisa focused on the area they currently traversed. It was a hallway that seemed to stretch on forever into the darkness, far longer than any other corridor they had come across. The sight made Marisa instinctively uneasy, though she was able to hide it before Reimu turned for a moment to face her.

“This hallway should lead us to the stairs. No matter what happens, just keep walking.”

Reimu’s words did little to inspire confidence in Marisa, so she ended up having to push herself forward on her own, as usual. The two walked in silence down the long corridor, further and further into the darkness. Marisa stared at Reimu’s back as she forced herself to think about nothing but walking. She knew that if she didn’t focus, her thoughts would begin to wander. She would lose her nerve.

Just as the hallways became completely dark, Marisa felt her foot miss the ground. Her mind went blank. Before she could even comprehend it, she was in free fall. The pitch black darkness lightened a little, but all that could be seen by Marisa was her going through what felt like piles upon piles of fog.

No, not fog. Clouds. Marisa’s arrested thought process began moving again as her fall continued. What had previously simply been the reflexive surprise of an unexpected development transformed into the more comprehensive terror of knowing she was about to hit the ground at terminal velocity.

Marisa cast her gaze downward. The ground was completely obscured by a rolling blanket of fluffy white clouds. She couldn’t even tell how much time she had left to think of something. No, there was nothing that she could do anyway. All that she could rely on was her trust in Reimu.

Marisa closed her eyes.

She could feel gravity, or whatever the Abyss had as an equivalent of it, claiming her as she took the leap of faith. Something about this sort of free falling felt surprisingly calming. For a moment, all of her earlier worries about taking the step forward evaporated into nothing.

However, all that bliss disappeared the very moment her face smacked right onto the ground.

“Damn it, Reimu! Why didn’t you tell me about this first?”

Marisa picked up her body from where she landed. She wasn’t sure how, but her impact on the cloud felt just like her jumping onto her own bed. Recovering from the impact, she hid the fear she felt earlier behind a look of frustration aimed at her friend.

“I’ve done it before so I know it’s not dangerous. I thought you might appreciate it.” Reimu herself seemed completely unfazed.

“Not dangerous?! You...”

“What is important is that you are safe. You can yell at me all you want once we’re done.” Reimu turned away from her. “Usually you don’t complain this much. Did all that time out of action soften you?”

“Not a chance. Once there’s a Shadow around, I’ll show ya that I’m still no pushover!” Although, speaking of unusual, Marisa noticed that Reimu herself had been more receptive to her words this time. It wasn’t unusual for her to banter a little, but Reimu was definitely more talkative than usual today. Marisa wondered why.

“Now that’s the spirit.” Reimu patted her shoulders before pausing. Her silence allowed Marisa to observe her surroundings for the first time since she landed.

The two of them were standing on what looked like clouds. It was night time, although the lack of green tint in the sky made it clear that they were not outside of the Abyss just yet. Above them was a large building floating in reverse. It was not exactly their school - it resembled more closely a large traditional castle built with a Gekkoukan-like architecture style. It was floating in the sky itself, obscuring the moon. Looking downwards was seemingly an endless sea of trees, with the only thing breaking the constant was a large hole in the middle of the forest. It was smaller than the hole on the surface, but it was similarly looking as bottomless as that one.

However, there was also something that seemed to be extending from the clouds towards that hole.

A spiral staircase?

“You still remember about when Mitsuru talked about SEES detecting another layer in the past, right?” Reimu spoke once more. Marisa nodded in response.

It was near the time when SEES was established. New equipment from the Kirijo Group was able to detect the presence of another layer past the zeroth layer, however no matter how they tried to reach it, the zeroth layer seemed to expand on and on into infinity - it was not until a while later that they realized the layer looped into itself.

“It’s been two years since then. Yet, it feels like we only made meaningful progress the past few months.” Reimu sounded grim. Her frustration was quite noticeable from her voice. It was a frustration that Marisa understood very well. The frustration born from a feeling of helplessness.

“Where are you going with this? Doesn’t seem like you to complain like this.” But Marisa couldn’t let that feeling out either. Maintaining a playful voice here was important for her. The last thing she needed was for Reimu to see her lagging behind.

“...Oh, nevermind that. I got carried away. What I wanted to say is, this part of the layer did not exist until very recently. It was only a few days ago that I learned about this fact.” Reimu continued on, back to her usual flat tone. “I don’t know what led to its sudden appearance, but it is like the very world of the Abyss is incomplete, and we are seeing it being gradually filled out by something.”

“Sheesh! Stop creeping me out, won’t you?” Even if it was conjecture, the idea of something actively shaping the Abyss to its desire was not a thought that Marisa wanted to hear right now.

“Calm down, it’s just a theory.” With that said, Reimu moved forward once more. “The only way to know is to go down ourselves. So, are you ready?”

“W-well, if it’s just a theory…”

“Your earlier bravado sure is nowhere to be seen now.” Reimu seemed to be teasing her with that. More than being bewildered by it, Marisa ended up taking the bait instead.

“H-hey! I’m always ready when you are, Reimu! Just the two of us are enough to deal with whatever’s down there.” Repeating those words to herself inside to make herself believe it, Marisa hurriedly followed Reimu who had descended down the spiral staircase.

Perhaps because it was a solid platform, Marisa felt more comfortable going down this one compared to the previous “entrances”. Even if it took both of them forever to descend, being able to hold onto something eased her heart and mind, and that was important for Marisa to retain her usual self.

Eventually, the endless staircase actually came to an end, and the two came upon a door. A large, ornate double door, red in hue and adorned with aged brass knobs and expertly carved paneling. The knobs themselves struck Marisa as somewhat grotesque, being shaped like human faces with inscrutable expressions that seemed to be equal parts fear, pain, and anger. She was hesitant to touch them. Reimu, though, grasped the doorknobs without concern and pushed the heavy doors open.

Beyond it, an incredible sight greeted them. An elaborately embroidered carpet extended over a vast marble floor, and dim, antiquated wall lamps illuminated the heavily ornamented red walls of the astonishing foyer inside the mansion she now found herself in. It was all like the setting of the old movies that Marisa used to watch when she was a kid. From top to bottom, it was all bathed in an eerie crimson light.

Casting her gaze upwards, Marisa saw that the room had no ceiling. Only a pitch-black sky, dominated by a moon too large and too red to be natural. Its presence weighed down upon the place, enveloping it in its otherworldly luster. In the distance, she could see the faint outline of the inverted school building that comprised the previous layer. Other than that, there was nothing else in the sky. It was a sky that only existed for the moon.

It was a lot to take in. The new layer’s gothic atmosphere was rich and heavy. Almost suffocatingly so. Despite this, the place felt strangely lifeless. An impressive, yet hollow simulacrum of a place that was too fanciful to exist in real life.

Still, Marisa couldn’t help but be amazed by it. It awakened something inside of her that she didn’t know she still had. Yet Reimu maintained her unflappable expression, unimpressed by the grand display before her.

It was understandable - this wasn’t the first time she had seen it, after all. Even so, Marisa could only wonder how Reimu felt when she first stepped into this room. Or perhaps, how she felt when she first was confronted with the vast void that was the Abyss, years before Marisa even knew of its existence. What Marisa felt and what Reimu felt through all this were worlds apart. They had been together for so long, but figuring out Reimu’s feelings was still an impossibility for her.

“The enemies here are tough. Take care of yourself, Marisa.”

As much as that distance separated the two of them, however, this was what fascinated Marisa about her. An unreachable star that she could keep chasing until the end of time, forever far away, yet always there to act as a direction for Marisa to follow.

“Come on, Reimu. The only thing that needs to take care of themselves are these Shadows once I’m done with them.” Marisa laughed as she straightened out her posture, a confident smirk formed on her expression. “When the two of us are together, no way these small fries would endanger us.”

“Hmph.” Reimu shook her head in response. However, she was smiling.

“Then let’s see if all that off-time made you rusty or not.”

It didn’t take long before that chance to show off appeared. Various Shadows ambushed them the moment they pushed forward. Like it had been a routine, the two of them responded in kind.

“They look different from the ones above.” Marisa quipped as she drew her sword. The Shadows that she saw were a mix of fairies and what seemed to be imp-like creatures with mean-looking claws. Naturally, they still all had their Shadow masks.

There was one coming at her from her side. The imp-like things were faster than Marisa anticipated, and Marisa only narrowly avoided being struck by its claws by rolling to the side. As it was still recovering from its lunge however, Marisa drove her sword through it. The steel pierced the Shadow’s form easily, killing it in one hit. As another of the imp-like Shadows attempted for another lunge, Marisa pulled her Evoker out.

“Odysseus!” As the name was called, the astronaut-like Odysseus tore through the Shadow with several strikes of lightning.

In the meantime, Reimu handled the waves of Shadow coming from the other side, summoning her Persona in an elegant movement. As Reimu raised her hand up into the air, a strange mask formed above her, of which her Persona wore on its empty face. The moment the mask was worn, pool-like darkness began to envelope the waves of Shadow creeping towards her.

At that moment, Reimu’s face changed. She wore an expression of almost joyful intensity, unnaturally stretched over her usual stern glare like some kind of disturbing mask. Her eyes betraying a manic energy that didn’t quite seem to belong to her.

Such an expression on Reimu was unnatural, inhuman even. It sent a cold chill down Marisa’s spine, and right into her heart.

Either unaware, or unconcerned with Marisa’s fixation on her, Reimu locked her gaze onto her target and attacked.

“Mamudo!”

The large swathe of Shadow then sank to the ground, as if the darkness enveloping them had devoured them. There were some remaining rabble afterwards, which posed no threat to Reimu as she knocked them around with her stick, bringing enough force to send some flying and splattering on the wall. By the time she turned around to return to Marisa, her expression had returned to her usual neutral, slightly annoyed one.

Was earlier just a hallucination, then? At least, Reimu’s ease of defeating those Shadows was nothing out of the ordinary. She was still as monstrous as always. Even if Marisa had grown a lot from the first time she dove into the Abyss with Reimu, there was no way for someone like her to close that gap. Knowing that Reimu was still the same overpowering presence as usual eased Marisa’s mind as much as it scared her.

“Not bad. You’re a little rough, but I can see that you still have not yet lost your edge.” Reimu made a comment as she approached Marisa. She swung around her staff as if she was slashing the air, though it probably was just muscle exercise. It wasn’t all that surprising to Marisa. While Reimu was a master of using the Kirijo Group’s Anti-Shadow needles, she actually preferred to smack Shadows directly with other weapons. It would make sense that in her solo explorations, she would prefer going with a staff than the needles.

”And you only got scarier in the meantime, Reimu.” Marisa let out a small laugh. She settled on explaining the earlier thing as just her being influenced by seeing how Reimu’s new ability worked for the first time.

“Even someone like me would need to push myself further if we want to reach the bottom of this.” Reimu turned around once she made sure that Marisa was alright, continuing on her way going through these corridors. “Come, we’ve only just begun.”

Whether that earlier Reimu was just her imagination or not, what was important was that she was back to her usual self now. Marisa decided to not worry about it too much.

“Then fine! I’ll come right behind you!”

Thinking of the many Shadows she and Reimu would demolish tonight, Marisa’s eagerness to continue was reignited as she skipped along with a smile on her face.

X-X-X

“Agilao!”

A dazzling conflagration consumed the large Shadow in the room as Marisa summoned her Persona. She was breathing heavily. Both she and Reimu had been fighting it for the last half hour. The Shadow evoked the image of a librarian, though more concerningly was its ability to shift around its vulnerabilities with ease.

However, right now Marisa was confident that the two of them had this Shadow figured out.

From behind the sea of flames, the humanoid figure of the Shadow was still visible. Marisa could see its hand waving - moments before a stream of icicles tore through the curtain fire, aimed right at her. It was an expected pattern at this point. Marisa rolled to the side in response, feeling the shaking as the icicles crashed onto the bookshelves inside of the room. As these shelves fell to the force, Marisa fired her Evoker again. The second wave of ice projectiles melted as Odysseus fired a stream of flames from its weapon.

“Reimu! Now’s the time!”

Following Marisa’s cue, Reimu leapt from one bookshelves to another as they fell one by one. The Shadow’s attention was still on Marisa. As the sea of flames consuming it faded, it manifested several orbs of fire around itself, as if it absorbed the fire around it to make those. It was ready to fire.

“Bufula!”

But before it was able to attack, icicles forming from the ground tore through its body like a ragdoll. Its attention turned around. Reimu already managed to stand right behind it during the time it prepared to attack Marisa.

WIthout it being given a chance to act in response, Reimu decapitated the Shadow with a swing from her staff.

Marisa watched as the Shadow’s form melted into black goo, leaning to her wall as her legs felt like it was about to give in. Even then, she was smiling. She was proud of her own performance..

“See? I’m still doing alright keeping up with ya, Reimu.” Marisa’s smile turned into a mischievous grin the moment she knew Reimu was looking at her. Even Reimu wasn’t doing all that well herself. Both of them were badly singed by the Shadow’s attacks. “Though, there won’t be any hiding this from Mitsuru once we get back.”

“That’s more on you.” Reimu, despite her injuries, walked towards Marisa before she summoned Psyche to heal her. Her unflappable expression remained, though there was a little hint of unusual frustration there - perhaps because Marisa had mentioned Mitsuru by name. “I have my own place to stay in times like this.”

“...Oh right. You gotta stay somewhere whenever you disappear from the dorm. I thought you just lived on someone’s rooftop at first.” Marisa bared her teeth while smiling. “Sooooo, mind telling me where this secret hideout of yours is so I can pay ya a visit sometimes?”

“If I tell you, you’d spill it to Mitsuru. I don’t mind you visiting, but I’d rather not have her come anywhere close.”

“...Gee, I know you dislike her, but don’t you think this is a little too much?” If there was someone that Reimu could be very cruel to, then it was to Mitsuru. There perhaps was no changing that, but since Mitsuru was also Marisa’s friend, she always wondered if perhaps she could do something about it, somehow.

“No.”

“Haah… I really couldn’t help ya with that, huh.” Marisa slid down from the wall, sitting down while taking a deep breath in exasperation. Reimu healed herself in the meantime before she, too, sat down. “If you don’t tone that attitude down, that’s not gonna give Sumi or Sanae a good example.”

“They’re better off following you in the first place.” Reimu shrugged. “Just let me do my job in peace.”

“Hey hey, but aren’t you our leader?”

“That’s Mitsuru.” Reimu said that with a grumble. “I’m here just to exterminate Shadows and resolve this whole mess.”

Marisa went quiet. Reimu today had definitely been showing more of her emotions than usual, and this was not just due to a lighter mood on her end. She wasn’t sure what to feel about it. Did something happen to her that Marisa didn’t know of? Whatever that was, Marisa was feeling mixed about it. She had been enjoying the banter the two of them had so far, but at the same time, this wasn’t the Reimu she knew of.

“Although.” Surprising her, Reimu ended up being the one to initiate a new conversation after the moment of silence. “That does remind me. Have you checked on Kochiya lately?”

“...Hm?” Marisa was surprised to see Reimu brought Sanae up. She wouldn’t be surprised if Reimu knew how close the two of them were, but it didn’t feel like Reimu to show care about someone like this. “No, I haven’t. She had been quite busy lately, and I’d rather not disturb her.”

“There’s something going on with her.” Reimu said. “She had been pretending that Usami didn’t exist while acting like everything was alright, or something like that. It was concerning.”

“...Ah.”

Marisa didn’t say anything else. She was surprised that Reimu had found out about it. However, how would she even respond to this inquiry? Saying “Oh, Sanae just was being paranoid about how well Sumireko went past her mental defenses” like it was nothing would only lead to further trouble. Despite what Reimu said, Marisa was good at keeping secrets.

“...That really is concerning, yeah. Last time I talked to them, I’m pretty sure the two of them were being pretty fine with each other.” Marisa decided to lie instead. Reimu’s gaze on her became sharper for a moment as she heard it, but it passed as she took a deep breath instead of addressing that suspicion.

“It’s uncharacteristically sloppy of you. Any other time, you would’ve noticed this way before me.” It still resulted in her being scolded, however. Marisa would’ve rubbed her neck while smiling apologetically if this wasn’t about Sanae. “Moreover, you are someone very important to Sanae. I’d expect you to have done something about it.”

“...Alright, I’ll try talking to her about it.” That was the least Marisa could promise to Reimu. Just by having this conversation, Aya’s accusations at her yesterday returned to her mind. It made her feel awful, just thinking about it. However, Reimu pointing that out only made her feel worse. The sooner this conversation would end, the better.

“I do wonder, perhaps there is also something going on with you.” However, even with the previous topic being dropped, Reimu instead jumped to strike from another angle with her words. “Could this be related to your recent relationship with that Shameimaru girl?”

“Reimu! That’s just… that sort of thing is my own business, alright?” Marisa didn’t expect that to be what Reimu would bring up next. Her face reddened.

“With how loud you two were being earlier, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I would say that this is my business too now.” Reimu flatly countered Marisa’s sloppy defense with a critical strike.

Hearing that, Marisa's face reddened as she looked away, unable to look Reimu square in the eye, and an intangible vice tightened ever-so-slightly around her heart. It felt as if she had been caught red-handed in some illicit act, and Reimu was the exact person she didn't want to be caught by. She wanted to apologize. Not for disturbing Reimu with the sound of a romantic encounter, but for even having one in the first place.

“But, more importantly than that.” Reimu’s voice became more serious. She didn’t seem to pay much thought to the little display of embarrassment on Marisa’s end. “Didn’t Mitsuru already tell you to not invite her into the dorm?”

“...Wait, did she?” Marisa was brought back from her embarrassment into reality as she noticed what Reimu said was off. While sure, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Reimu knew about Aya, but since when did Mitsuru also know and had anything to say about it? “I never heard her saying anything like that.”

“Mitsuru said that we should not let suspicious outsiders enter our dorm. And that Shameimaru would be someone that perfectly fits that bill.” Reimu stared at her. At that time, another number flashed on her forehead, but Marisa couldn’t quite capture what it meant. Whatever that was however, was clearly part of why Reimu had been acting differently today.

What Reimu said only made her suspicion rise too. She acted earlier as if it was specifically Aya that was forbidden to visit the dorm, but now she claimed that Mitsuru’s words were talking about a more general case. Moreover, Marisa still couldn’t recall any instance of Mitsuru saying that, either.

“Is that so, huh.”

If there was one thing that didn’t change, it was Reimu’s inability to lie to save herself. She clearly didn’t want Aya to find out something about SEES and the dorm. This was not something Mitsuru would do. Back when Sumireko first joined and everyone worked together to keep SEES a secret from her, Mitsuru’s reasoning was entirely in Sumireko’s interest. Meanwhile, Reimu this time clearly was not doing it to protect Aya.

“Do not involve outsiders with SEES matters.” Even from Reimu’s flat tone, this sounded like a threat. All that was very transparent. Everything was just like what Aya had said yesterday to her.

There was something fishy going on with the Abyss and their school, and that fishiness involved the Kirijo Group. Such a thought had always been something that Marisa herself had for a while, although she never was someone to snoop around other people’s secrets. However, she remained curious about it. This was why she and Aya ended up in their current relationship. Because Aya had more or less confirmed what Marisa had been suspicious about, although neither of them could figure out the true exacts of the truth. That truth would be something that lay in the grasp of the enigma before her. Hakurei Reimu.

This was the real reason why she had decided to go on a dive with Reimu tonight.

“Ahahah…

Alright then. I won’t do that again. Next time, we’ll just stay outside of the dorm.”

But, she couldn’t bring herself to point any of that out, even when the opportunity presented itself. Reimu had opened herself up for Marisa to attack and reach for the truth she held. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

All that happened during this dive had only cemented something to Marisa - that she didn’t want to lose the tenuous meaning she had for Reimu. For her to openly antagonize her meant that what little value she had to her would burn into ashes. Marisa positioned herself as Reimu’s closest friend, even if she herself barely understood her better than others. Despite that, Reimu herself didn’t find any issue with such arrangements.

Reimu didn’t need her in this dive - she was strong enough to deal with everything herself. She didn’t need her in SEES - the only meaning she had there was because Reimu couldn’t be everywhere at once. Reimu didn’t need her in her heart - she was someone that did not have any room for anyone else in her heart other than her lonesome self.

And thus, the only meaning Marisa had for her was as a friend and companion, fleeting as that position was.

Marisa hoped that her reply would end the topic. But Reimu was still staring at her. Analyzing her. Judging her.

“Hey, Marisa.”

Marisa felt her heart almost stop.

“Do you trust that Shameimaru girl more than Mitsuru? More than me?”

“..."

"Please, answer me."

"...Hah… you really are cruel, Reimu.” Even while Marisa’s tone was relaxed, her whole body was tensing. Cold sweat travelled down her neck. She wanted to be surprised that Reimu was able to guilt trip her, but at this point she had conceded that what she knew about Reimu was far from sufficient.

“Answer me, Marisa.”

“Of course I trust you two more. We’ve been together for so long. I'm not gonna throw you away for that Aya, so don't worry about it, alright?”

Another lie. A cop-out of an answer. Of the two, Marisa knew that at least she could trust Mitsuru - despite being the heir of the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru knew barely anything. There was little that Mitsuru hid from her. But Reimu… try as she might, it was difficult trusting a walking, breathing question mark.

There was a long silence between the two of them before Reimu sighed and averted her gaze.

“Well, I can’t force you to do anything, Marisa. Just keep in mind that someone like Aya will bring nothing good to us.” Reimu stood up and turned around, making it hard to see her expression at the time. “Granted, I know you’ll just do whatever you feel is right. I trust your judgment to not lead you into your own downfall.”

_We’ll just have to see, I guess._

Marisa stood up following her. Her legs still felt like they were on the verge of melting, but at least she was glad that despite everything, her relationship with Reimu had not been damaged today. Even so, the feeling of frustration would continue to haunt her for the rest of the night as Marisa realized how fragile her relationship with Reimu really was.

To put her mind off this, the moment she returned to her room, she picked up her phone and sent a message to someone.

Even if she couldn’t do anything for Reimu, perhaps she could bring herself to do something for Sanae instead.

X-X-X

It was 4 PM in the afternoon. Marisa looked at her watch with unease just outside of a coffee shop on the roadside. With the interest of knowing more of Sanae’s recent issues and to ease her conscience after it was attacked by both Aya and Reimu, Marisa decided to arrange a small coffee date with her so that they could talk about it over some cups of coffee. Sanae didn’t want the place to be Chagall and instead suggested a coffee shop in the northern part of the city. She said that she visited there a few times since it was close to the way to Daiya’s house.

Marisa let out a deep breath the moment she remembered about that name. Just thinking about it was painful.

Sanae eventually arrived, fifteen minutes later than the promised time. She looked quite exhausted as she ran towards the cafe.

“Yo, over here!” Marisa waved at her. The sight of her made Sanae pick up her pace, and the moment she approached Marisa, she went for a tackle hug that almost sent Marisa falling.

“Marisa-senpai! It’s been so long…”

“Yeah, sorry for not hanging out with you much lately.” Marisa let Sanae stay in this position for a while. Seeing her positivity eased some of her worries from earlier, as much as she knew that it was more likely just Sanae faking it.

“That’s fine, Marisa-senpai. That sort of thing just happens.” Sanae took a moment to stop and catch her breath before continuing. Marisa could feel that her breathing was ragged. She wondered if whether Sanae immediately rushed here from school. “I was also getting really busy with my preparation for the upcoming championship, so I hadn’t been able to spare the time for hanging out with you, either.”

“It does feel like that.” Marisa finally let go of Sanae. “Hm, don’t you think it’s best if we continue talking inside?”

Sanae nodded at that prompt. Walking inside together, the two of them found themselves a table where they could sit across each other before making their orders.

“How’s your practice going?” Marisa asked as the two waited for their orders. “You’ve been really going at it lately. Yukari’s not being too harsh on you, right?”

“Don’t worry about it, senpai. I’m doing this on my own initiative. I don’t want to drag down Takeba-san and the others.”

“.Huh, that sounds unlike you, Sanae. What about all your complaints to me about how you're not feeling the club and wanting to get out of it fast?” Marisa looked at Sanae in confusion. She remembered that Sanae only joined the club just because it was very popular back then. Though, it did end up backfiring when all the other new recruits were driven away by Yukari’s demanding regiment. Sanae was probably only stuck there because of SEES. Marisa had been thinking that the club only occupied so much of Sanae’s time due to said training regiment, but Sanae looked oddly fired up about it here.

“Come on, senpai! Shooting a target over and over is pretty relaxing, actually. The sensation of feeling the strum of the bowstring while you release your hold on the arrow… the satisfaction of hitting a bullseye, the concentration needed for all that, it really was quite something else. I should’ve been more serious about this club from the start.” Sanae’s exposition on her feelings about the club sure didn’t assure Marisa that it was all there was to it.

“Are you sure that Takeba didn’t drug your drinking water or something?”

“Marisa! Saying that about Takeba-san is just rude!” Sanae looked like she took the bait Marisa gave her. At least on this front, she was still alright.

“Alright, alright. If you say that you’re comfortable with this club, then I’ll support you with whatever you need.” Marisa said encouragingly. This seemed harmless enough, at least. There might be no relation between Sanae’s increasing interest in the archery club and her avoiding Sumireko.

Their orders would arrive not long after. Sanae ordered a lot of sweets on top of her latte. While usually Marisa would order at least a fancy cake to treat herself, right now she was more in the mood for just a cup of the store’s signature coffee blend and that’s it. As Sanae enjoyed her food, Marisa’s gaze on her lingered.

Sooner or later, she would need to confront Sanae about her issues with Sumireko while they were still here. That was why she was here. Before the situation would get worse, Marisa had to deal with it. That was what Aya and Reimu had demanded of her. But more importantly, it was for Sanae’s sake.

But… was it really?

Seeing Sanae right now, enjoying her order with a warm smile on her face, Marisa’s doubts grew. Some of this positivity that she showcased was definitely fabricated, but at the same time, this was still a situation where Sanae was happy.

Marisa wondered if confronting her about the issue would only just wipe that smile off her face and achieve nothing else.

“Well, practice all you want, but don’t forget that midterms are closing in.” Marisa took a sip from her cup. “Don’t forget to spend time studying too.”

“Hmm, and what would you give me if I manage to score high?”

“A clip of myself saying congratulations that you can replay how many times you want.” Marisa gave Sanae a stupid smile. “And a pat on the back for a job well done.”

“I’m not joking, senpai…”

The flighty, playful Sanae here was definitely different than the prim and proper school idol that everyone else was used to. It was not something to be proud of, but this Sanae was one that only she had the privilege of seeing. It was an entertaining Sanae to talk to, that was to be sure, but Marisa wondered if this was just one other way she played pretend.

From the start, Sanae was someone that would pretend to be feeling something that she was not. Even when Marisa found her alone in the middle of the Dark Hour, around the fading remains of the Shadows she had just defeated, she pretended that she was alright, even when she was shivering and her eyes red from dried tears.

Marisa wondered if that sight was perhaps why she agreed to be someone that Sanae could lean on. Because that night, she saw how terrified she was. It was the look of someone who had seen her whole world crumbling around her. Marisa didn’t want to see that in her eyes anymore.

That was how Marisa became Sanae’s “friend”. More than anyone that she knew of, Marisa was the only one privy to the side of Sanae that she hid from others. Her fears, her anxieties, how much of a mess she actually was, Marisa knew about all that. All that because Marisa chose to act as simply a shoulder to lean on, someone that could listen, but not pursue. Sanae was revered by many as a new school idol of Gekkoukan, but underneath all that was someone that couldn’t trust anyone with her feelings.

To become someone that Sanae could trust, Marisa had sacrificed her chances of helping her meaningfully.

“Fine then, I can buy you a big cake. It’d be on time for your birthday too, right?”

“Yay! If it’s from you, then I’ll study my hardest!” Sanae said that proudly. It seemed that she had no issue about the idea of celebrating her birthday if it was from her. Marisa wondered why that was. “I have Daiya-chan on my side too, so I’m sure I can score high if I get her to teach me the hard stuffs!”

“....Ah…” Marisa let out a sigh again when she heard Sanae mentioning Daiya in such a way. When she was carried away, Sanae tend to refer to others in a friendlier way, but when it was about Daiya, it felt that it had other implications.

“Why are you sighing? Did she cause trouble for you in some way?” Sanae looked at Marisa’s reaction with confusion.

“No, it’s nothing.” But Marisa would rather not say the truth here. She tried to stop the topic prematurely, but Sanae was still looking at her. At first confused, but after a few seconds Marisa was sure she saw Sanae looked like she demanded an actual answer here.

“Senpai, you’re bad at lying. Just tell me, I won’t bite.” Sanae’s words only strengthened that suspicion.

“Really, it’s nothing.” Marisa began to panic. She couldn’t just shift the topic away at this rate. Sanae would suspect that she was avoiding the topic. She would have a better chance, however, if the topic was close.

Marisa gulped. Forget confronting Sanae about Sumireko, bringing herself to speak right now was already difficult.

“How’s Daiya, anyway?" Marisa asked. She attempted her best to look like she was in control of herself. At first Sanae was still looking unsatisfied, but as Marisa spoke again, she began to follow this new topic direction. “I’d imagine she’d be worried about you if you’re overexerting yourself like this.”

“Oh, Daiya? She’s doing great. She’s been accompanying me to practice lately. I told her that I’m fine, but she’s so worried about me that she keeps giving me her boxed lunch too. She’s really so kind, isn’t she?” Sanae answered Marisa without a hint of malice on her voice. Those sentences were like needles piercing her heart one by one, even if it was not her that was wronged here. Marisa could barely think properly with all that Sanae said her. In this situation, the first thing that was on her mind slipped through her lips.

“Sanae, didn’t you notice that she’s into you?”

“...Oh, really? You must be imagining it. Daiya’s just kind like that with everyone. I’m glad that she’s always there when I need her.” Sanae continued. Her answer brought Marisa back to reality. There was no other way Sanae would answer her in the first place. She pretended that Marisa had never asked the same question before. Because Sanae had chosen her own truth to believe in on the matter.

Sanae already knew that Daiya was in love with her. Marisa didn’t know if it was why Sanae was comfortable around her, but she definitely took advantage of that feeling, knowingly or not. At the same time, Sanae would rather pretend that there was no such thing between the two of them, because acknowleding a feeling she wouldn't answer might damage the convenience of their relationship. As it was, there was no chance for Daiya to ever end up with Sanae, and yet Sanae would continue benefiting from Daiya’s feelings for her.

Marisa sympathized with Daiya. Very much so. It was the hardest part of standing by Sanae’s side so far.

But, to do anything about this situation would mean removing one of Sanae’s pillars of support, and that would sink her. Marisa couldn’t bring herself to do that.

“Well, on the off-chance she might actually be into you, would you reciprocate her feelings, Sanae?” To maintain the feeling that she was not in her own turmoil, Marisa continued with the topic.

“Hm… hypothetically, huh? I don’t mind being with a girl, but at the same time, I don’t want to be in any romantic relationship right now. I still think it’s too much of a bother.” Sanae sighed. “Too bad for her in that case, but on my end, it will be a hard no.”

“Ahah… well, I’m sure in this scenario that she actually is in love with you, she’ll take that rejection well.” That was painful to even say. More than anything, Marisa sympathized with Daiya because she could relate to having so much feeling for someone that would never reciprocate it. The two of them dealt with it differently, although at this point Marisa wondered if her approach really was healthier than Daiya’s.

“Well, I’m sure that if she is in love with me, she’ll never say it upfront anyway. Knowing Daiya, she’d fear that it would make me go away from her or something.”

At that point, Marisa was on the verge of yelling. She decided to excuse herself before she was sent over the edge by their conversation.

Alone in the bathroom, Marisa began to wonder if she would be better off just letting Sanae collapse into herself. It was a terrifying thought that Marisa had never really directly confronted, but right now, she realized that she had the power to send everything about Sanae’s life as she knew it into shambles.

In the end, Sanae was a bundle of fragility that desperately wanted the comfort of interpersonal relationships without any of their risks. That was why she pushed herself to be a popular girl in Gekkoukan. That was why she kept people like Daiya and Marisa around herself. Close enough for them to do something for her, but far enough that they wouldn’t be able to personally hurt her. If it was not for the pity she felt that night, Marisa wondered if she would even stay in this arrangement.

However, making the conscious decision to ruin someone’s life was an impossibility for her. Even if this arrangement caused a lot of pain for everyone involved, that it put her in a position of inaction at least meant that she wasn’t the one to directly cause the downfall of someone.

Moreover…

For once, Marisa wanted to feel like she mattered in a personal manner for someone. For Sanae, who chose her to be someone she could rely on, this was all that she could do.

Marisa washed her face.

How much did she actually care for Sanae? Marisa began to wonder. Was all that she did for her just something that came from the pity she felt? Was it just something she wanted to do to feel like she mattered in someone else’s life? Was it just some sort of misguided sense of obligation?

Marisa looked at the mirror before her. Rather than her own reflection, she saw Sanae’s smiling face was there. A warm, genuine smile.

“I’m glad to have you in my life.”

The reflection spoke. Those words that Marisa wanted to hear. For this forgettable, ordinary her that struggled to even attempt to reach the stars, that was what she wished to hear from Sanae. But, was that all there to it? The image of Sanae disappeared into her own once more.

This feeling that Marisa had for Sanae, at least she was sure that it was not romantic love. She wasn’t sure about what it actually was, but she knew that it was strong. Strong enough that it could take over her reason if she was not careful.

Whatever it was, Marisa knew it was there. When she left the bathroom with a smile on her face, she had pushed all thoughts of confronting Sanae about Sumireko away. That was not how she would care for her.

“I’m back.”

As she sat down, Sanae was still busy eating. All the exercise she did probably made her metabolism go into an overdrive. Seeing it, Marisa laughed a little.

“Say, how about your other friends, Sanae? Are they doing alright?”

“Oh, you mean Aya? I hear some rumors that she’s been overworking herself for the school newspaper lately. She also got a transfer student to help her get her news material too, or so I hear.”

Just as Marisa expected, Sanae was not ready to talk about Sumireko right now. She took a deep breath.

This was fine.

Not pushing further was her own way of helping Sanae. Respecting Sanae’s boundaries and just acting as someone Sanae could lean to was her own way of caring for her. Doing so, even with all that others said to her so far, didn’t mean that she cared less about Sanae than she claimed.

If there was someone that could do anything further for Sanae’s sake, then it was not her.

As the two continued with their conversation, Marisa silently wondered. Perhaps that person that could do more than what Marisa could provide would be Sumireko. After all, she was the one that Sanae was able to truly show her true self to.

The memory of seeing Sanae taking a stand for Sumireko’s sake against Mitsuru on that fateful day was still seared on her mind.

But, Marisa wondered. If Sumireko’s attempt of doing something for Sanae would conflict with her own, would she stop her?

X-X-X

_It was the end of my first day returning to school after the Shadow attack on SEES’ dorm. My right arm was still stuck in a cast and just moving it around was painful. Although, I wasn’t too worried about it. The Kirijo Group’s healthcare access was top notch - moreover, the doctor said that the fracture was not as bad as everyone had feared. Getting used on doing things with just one hand for the time being was difficult, but I think I got a hang of it well enough._

_Just in front of the school gate, I ended up being busy with my phone._

_More than my own health, I had been instead thinking more about someone else. That person was my girlfriend. I hadn’t been able to contact her recently, and I couldn’t even meet her when I visited her class earlier. I wonder if she had dumped me without a notice. I would be fine with that, it wouldn’t be the first time, but I’d like to hear it directly from her._

_It wasn’t like we had been going out together for long, anyway. I met her two weeks before the semester started and we began dating just a few days after. It would make sense that she would think that I was the one that one-sidedly dumped her._

_Still no answers._

_Maybe it was best for me to not worry too much about this. I closed my phone and left the school gate. If she had left me, I guess I hope that she would eventually find someone better for herself. During the train back to the city, I thought more about her. If I were in her position, what would I do?_

_Hm. I couldn’t think of an answer._

_Off the train, I decided to visit the strip mall next to the station before going back to the dorm. Usually I would be practicing at this hour, but since Mitsuru would kill me if I tried anything like that, I thought that hanging out there might help me kill some time._

_But, just as I began to walk around there, I saw her._

_The blue-haired girl that I was looking for was sitting on a nearby bench alone. Just from a glance, I could see various bruises on her arm. The sight of that made me panic. What happened? Who did that to her?_

_Was this the reason why she couldn’t answer my messages?_

_Without thinking, I approached her and offered my hand to her. She looked upwards at me, and for a moment, I could see anger in her eyes. However, she relented. With her being supported by me, we both went to the nearby bus stop. I thought of getting us to her home, but instead, I ended up bringing her into the dorm. At this hour, Mitsuru and Reimu wouldn’t be around, and both Sanae and Sumireko would still be in the hospital, so nobody would be around to protest about this._

_I got her into my room, and as I lay her on my bed, I went to deal with her bruises. I cleaned up the dried blood from her face and fists before bandaging the cuts on her arms. It was difficult doing all that with just one hand, but all I could think of was how I could help her. The whole time this happened, her gaze was on the ceiling, looking at it emptily._

_I could only bring myself to speak once I was sure that I hadn’t missed anything._

_“Who did this to you?” I asked. Seeing someone close to me being beaten up like this was not something that I could stand. Was it some local thugs? Did some of her seniors bully her? No matter. Even if it was her own parents, I would deal with it._

_However, she was silent. It was as if she was ignoring me. She kept staring at the ceiling. I decided to let her be at first. I guessed that perhaps the experience had shaken her that she had difficulty speaking. Deciding to give her some personal space, I left my room._

_I returned around two hours later, bringing two cups of hot chocolate with me. When I entered the room, she was sitting on the bedside. I put both cups on the table at the side of the bed before I sat next to her._

_“Who did this to you?” I asked again._

_However, she remained silent. She didn’t even seem like she registered my presence. Was she really that shaken about this? I wondered if it’s best to give her more time to recover on her own, but I decided to ask her again before that._

_“Everything’s fine. If you tell me who did this to you, then I’ll make sure they won’t hurt you anymore.”_

_“I can handle myself.” That was all she said while averting her gaze from me. No. That was not an answer that I could accept. She was small and frail. No matter what she said, she wouldn’t be able to deal with whoever did this to her. Maybe she was just trying to make me not worry about her, but if that was the case then her attempt ended up backfiring._

_“Please tell me.” I repeated my demand. This was for her own good. Unlike with Sanae, I felt that it would be best if I pushed forward if I wanted to help other people. “I don’t want to see you getting hurt like this again.”_

_“As I said, I’m fine.” But she only repeated what she said earlier. “It’s just a fight. I don’t need you to meddle with that.”_

_“You said that it’s just a fight, but you could barely even walk! You can’t just say that you’re fine if you’re hurt like this!”_

_“Don’t you have things to worry about more, like your broken arm... or Reimu?”_

_And at that time, she finally looked back at me. The anger in her eyes that I saw when I picked her up had returned._

_“People like you piss me off, Marisa.” She said that with disgust in her tone. While she was always rough around the edges, I never hear her talk with such venom in her words. “You only want to jump in on this just ‘cause you wanna feel good about yourself. Just gonna act like a dashing prince charming, riding in to save the day while not giving a shit about the one you saved.”_

_“That’s… no, I’m not like that!” I couldn’t let those words stand. I brought her up here and fixed her up, and this was what she said to me? No words of gratitude, no appreciation, but instead an accusation? I began to feel angry too._

_“I want to save you because I care about you! Because you’re my… no, even if you’re not my girlfriend, I wouldn’t stand aside if I see someone in your situation.”_

_“Whether I’m your girlfriend or just a random passerby doesn’t matter to you, yes. We’d be just damsels for you to save so you can feel good about yourself.” That girl, however, was relentless. “From the start, our relationship was just a farce, isn’t it? All this time behind your sweet words, you only ever think of Reimu. You just dated me to compensate for your inability to be with her. I’d be sad for you if I weren’t the one taking the brunt of your mess.”_

_I couldn’t say anything about that. I had experienced this several times before. It was the inevitable end of my relationships - the moment they realized that I couldn’t put my heart into it because it was elsewhere. Yet… it was the first time that it felt so painful for it to be pointed out._

_That girl stood up. Her legs wobbled and she had to lean on the nearby wardrobe to not fall, but she insisted on standing._

_“When I first met you, I thought you’re the same as me. You stood tall above the others and were open about yourself, even if that’d mean you’d find difficulty connecting with others.” The girl sighed. “Turns out you just wanna use girls like me to pretend you’re worth something.”_

_I watched in silence as that girl left my room. Even after all she said, I still wanted to help her, to prove that she was wrong, but I felt chained down, unable to bring myself to move. I doubted that she would let me help her, either. Even if she had to crawl back home._

_It was supposed to be just another inevitable end to a relationship to me, but I fear that her words would never leave my head from here on._

X-X-X

It was already night time when Marisa decided to walk home on her own. Sanae had left on her own an hour ago. Walking alone on the streets, her mind drifted as frustration took hold of her. As much as she already reached her own conclusion on how she would deal with Sanae, her mind still attempted to guilt herself for not being able to confront Sanae about her issues.

Her mind was trying to guilt her and make her think that she wouldn’t be able to be someone important for anyone with her current approach. Marisa knew it was false. Marisa wanted it to be false. But that thought continued to linger on her head ever since Sanae left.

It was a relatively quiet night. Perhaps it was because Marisa took the less crowded route to give herself some peace of mind, but outside of herself, there was no one walking around on the streets at the time.

However, something caused her to stop.

Off the corner of her eyes, she could see a blue-haired girl crawling on the ground, bloody and beaten. Marisa felt her heart rate rising. She knew her. She wanted to help her. She wanted to apologize to her. Even if that girl didn’t want her help, such a sight was unacceptable.

But, her words continued to ring in her ears instead. It caused her hesitation, as much as Marisa had admitted to herself that she did want validation from her actions. Just because, even then, a part of her still wanted to believe that she was being genuine when she helped others.

For that moment, Marisa hesitated.

Or perhaps, she was just hallucinating? That thought passed her mind for a moment. Since her earlier failure with Sanae, Marisa couldn’t stop thinking about that girl and she had been quite exhausted by the past few days too.

But, hallucination or not, just taking another look wouldn’t hurt her. If that vision she had really was real, then she would help her no matter what. If it was not, then she could just move on with her day. Just turning around would not cause her pain.

Solidifying her resolve, Marisa gathered her courage to glance again at the direction of the girl. However, this time, someone else was there. As she quickly turned around to confirm, she could see it clearly with her own eyes that it was Reimu.

Right before her eyes, she saw Reimu already there, helping that girl. While she was hesitating, Reimu had already swooped in and saved the day. For a moment, she considered to still move forward, to see if she could do something meaningful to help both. But just as she took a step, she noticed that Reimu was smiling warmly to that girl.

“...Ah, I really was hallucinating.”

Repeating those words to herself until she believed that lie, Marisa turned around and left the two of them, never to look back.

X-X-X


End file.
